LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Isabel Gomez upon the occasion of
receiving the Joey Award from the Child Care Council of Westchester,
Inc. on June 5, 2009

WHEREAS, It is the practice of this Legislative Body to take note of and
publicly acknowledge individuals of remarkable integrity and character
who have inspired and brought pride to our majestic Empire State with
their strong contributions to the community and model citizenship; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Isabel Gomez upon the occasion of receiving the Joey Award from the
Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc. at its Awards Luncheon to be
held on Friday, June 5, 2009, at The Woman's Club, White Plains, New
York; and
WHEREAS, Individuals who give of their time and energies and serve the
best interests of their communities are an asset beyond remuneration and
cannot be sufficiently extolled; and
WHEREAS, A woman of singular distinction, Isabel Gomez has given not
only of her time and energies but also of her competence, intelligence
and leadership and consequently has been designated for this special
honor; and
WHEREAS, This marks the 21st year of the Council's Joey Awards, named
after Joseph M. Ungaro, former Vice President of the Gannett Metro News
Division and first President of the Board of Directors of the Child Care
Council of Westchester, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, Isabel Gomez has worked in the field of early childhood
education for over 35 years; she currently works as a kindergarten
teacher at The Seed Day Care Center in Yorktown Heights, New York; and
WHEREAS, Isabel Gomez began her work in 1974, in La Plata, Argentina,
her country of origin, as co-founder of a pilot program for disadvan-
taged students in a poor neighborhood; she came to the United States in
1980 to help found The Seed Day Care Center; and
WHEREAS, While working full-time, Isabel Gomez obtained her Bachelor
of Arts degree from Mercy College and her Master's degree in Education
from SUNY New Paltz; and
WHEREAS, During her schooling, Isabel Gomez studied Reggio Emilia and
the Project Approach to early childhood education; she found that it
matched her own philosophy of encouraging children to engage in
research, experimentation and discovery as a way to learn about a
subject of particular interest; she has shared her experience and enthu-
siasm for the Reggio Emilia philosophy with other teachers, who have in
turn implemented it in their own classrooms; and
WHEREAS, An exemplary leader, Isabel Gomez has been instrumental in
developing The Seed Day Care Center's high-quality program and has
influenced the lives of countless children and families; and
WHEREAS, Isabel Gomez has clearly had an enduring impact on the youth
of Westchester County, as well as on the community-at-large, and accord-
ingly merits recognition and applause for her impressive dedication to
others; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Isabel Gomez upon the occasion of receiving the Joey Award from
the Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc. on June 5, 2009; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Isabel Gomez.