Our dear friend and colleague Dana West Carvalho passed away in October, 2018 from cancer. Dana worked with me at For Kids’ Sake as a parent educator for 3 years. Her kindness and dedication to parents was remarkable during this time.
Dana is remembered as a long – term advocate of young children and families in Austin. She served as director of many early childhood programs, including First English CDC, Child’s Day CDC, St. Michael’s preschool, and First Presbyterian preschool. She also served as interim head of The Girl’s School of Austin. Schools and teachers and families flourished under Dana’s guidance, and dedication. Schools under her direction accomplished accreditation successfully, and she was a strong advocate for developmentally appropriate practice.
As I was visiting schools in the late fall, I was touched with so many ECE teachers were saddened by her passing. To acknowledge her contributions to the field of early childhood, I believe that a scholarship in her honor will soften our loss.
The scholarship will be offered under the guidance of the Austin chapter of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children. For those who have donated, thank you. Donations are appreciated, and can be sent to:
Austin Association for the Education of Young Children (AAEYC)
The Dana Carvalho Memorial Scholarship
P.O. Box 4997
Austin, TX 78765
The scholarship will fund teachers and directors of early childhood programs to attend the annual AAEYC conference. The conference will be held this year on April 6that the Thompson Conference at the University of Texas. https://austinchapter-txaeyc.org/professional-development/conference/
Please help us honor Dana’s legacy and support early childhood professionals in professional development for years to come.
Claire Flynn
For Kids’ Sake
