Juneau early childhood education advocate Joy Lyon has been selected as the 2018 Sandra J. Skolnik Public Policy Leadership Award recipient. This national award is given by Child Care Aware of America each year to recognize the accomplishments of those who contribute to Child Care Aware of America’s vision: “Every family in the United States has access to a high-quality, affordable child care system.”
Lyon is the executive director of the Association for the Education of Young Children—Southeast Alaska (AEYC-SEA).
“She has been a champion for early childhood in Alaska for over 20 years, providing leadership and awareness of the need for more resources and supports for families, early childhood educators, and early learning programs to bring about the positive and healthy development of young children,” the award release states.
Lyon has testified to the Alaska Legislature on early childhood education issues many times and has written about the issue in the Juneau Empire’s opinion section. She has led initiatives such as the annual Step Up For Kids rally, the Kids in the Capital annual event and local advocacy campaigns in Juneau.
A key player in Best Starts for Juneau’s Kids, Lyon has worked to address Juneau’s education and childcare shortcomings.
