Bright Horizons Center Director Receives Mentor of the Year Award from Project SEARCH

June 23, 2022 – Recently, Amy Cook, Center Director at WVU Medicine Child Development Center received a Mentor of the Year award for her work with Project SEARCH, a program dedicated to preparing young people with significant disabilities for success in competitive, integrated employment.

“It truly means everything to be viewed and valued by WVU Medicine in this light,” said Amy. “Through my participation in Project SEARCH, I learned I have a new avenue for applying my passion for supporting the professional development of adults.”

A WVU graduate herself, Amy has been working in early childhood education since 2007 and started working at the WVU Medicine on-site child care center in 2011. When WVU Medicine approached Amy to have the center participate in Project SEARCH, she worked closely with her team to secure approvals and trainings needed to make the program a success for the center’s intern. 

Amy was the intern’s mentor throughout the length of the program and made sure to support her in a number of ways. 

“To help prepare the intern for the early care and education field, I interviewed her, supported her in building her personnel file, met with her instructors weekly, provided her feedback, and assigned her a classroom with two teachers who have recently celebrated their anniversary of 21 years with Bright Horizons,” said Amy. 

Not only did Amy successfully support the intern through the program, but also offered the intern a full-time position in the center’s infant classroom upon graduation.
“I am so happy to have a tiny part in our intern's success in achieving what she refers to as her dream job,” said Amy. 

Amy plans to continue her work with Project SEARCH and encourage Bright Horizons center directors to seek similar partnership opportunities in their area.

To learn more about Project SEARCH, visit here.