As current and former UOP Families we are writing this letter of recommendation for Sylvia Stowell, Director of University of Play (UOP) to be considered for ECE Director of the Year because we feel Sylvia embodies all the qualities and competencies an ECE Director should aspire to. Since 2003 under Sylvia’s visionary leadership UOP has become magical place where over 400 of our children have been given an opportunity to thrive in a play based, developmentally appropriate environment that is safe and exceptionally professional.

For all of us Sylvia has:

1. Created a nurturing environment,

2. Struck a perfect balance of love and boundaries for UOP,

3. Offered exceptional childcare and parenting resources for families throughout the community,

4. Created a welcoming environment for all children, including many children who struggled to find a place in other centers,

5. Promoted an atmosphere of tolerence and diversity,

6. Committed UOP to creativity, self-expression, and joy that allowed our children to thrive while still maintaining a well structured highly professional learning environment,

7. Constantly pursued professional growth opportunities for herself and over 10 emerging teachers in order to keep herself, her faculty, and the community at large at the forefront of quality early childhood education,

8. Consistently sought feedback from parents, faculty (and kids!) and implemented changes as necessary to maintain the highest standard of care,

9. Left a highly positive impression on our children that has stayed with them (and us) ever since, and finally

10. Provided a powerful vision of what child care can be and worked tirelessly to make that a reality for our community.

Given her track record to date, we are confident that Sylvia will continue to be a force for change in our community as she seeks ways to enhance UOP. Some examples include; working to grow her unique outdoor classroom by adding an outdoor library; building a strong mentorship program working with college students who can observe at UOP for class projects; and nurturing the next generation of ECE professionals by opening her doors to middle and high school alumni who work at UOP for their community service hours.

For all that she has done and all that she will do for families of Marin, we hope you will award Sylvia ECE Director of the Year.

Sincerely