Sheila Hoyle receives statewide award

By Lynn Hotaling

Child Care Services Association last week honored Sheila Hoyle of Sylva, executive director of Southwestern Child Development Commission, with the James and Carolyn Hunt Early Childhood Award for outstanding service on behalf of young children.

Hoyle has worked for almost 30 years to better the lives of preschoolers in North Carolina. A child care social worker, day care coordinator, policy supervisor and executive director, she has focused on improving child care and has made a difference for children and their families, said a CCSA spokesman.

When working with other North Carolina early childhood leaders to craft policies and develop initiatives that work for both large cities and small towns, Hoyle has brought the "rural and mountain voice" to the table, the spokesman said.

"I feel very fortunate to have been working in North Carolina," Hoyle said said. "Our advocacy and public policy approach to improving early childhood programs has been innovative and progressive."

Hoyle began her career as a child care social worker with SCDC when it opened in July 1972. She moved on to serve as day care coordinator for the Jackson County Department of Social Services and policy supervisor for the Child Day Care Section of the N.C. Department of Human Resources. She has directed SCDC since 1987.

"Sheila is certainly deserving of this award. She's one of the behind-the-scenes leaders who has had a profound effect on the lives and well-being of children and their families - not just in Jackson County, but in the whole region," said Bob Cochran, director of Jackson County's Department of Social Services and a member of the SCDC board of directors.

"She's created a model for the entire state for how rural counties can collaborate and maximize funding by pooling resources," Cochran said. "She's been very creative in using SmartStart funds to improve the infrastructure for both small and large day care providers."

Always on the forefront of systemic change, Hoyle has served on the executive committee of the Region A Smart Start Board since 1993. SCDC was the applicant agency for Region A's successful bid to obtain first-round SmartStart funds.

Hoyle currently serves on the Region A More at Four task force, the Early Childhood Curriculum Committee for Southwestern Community College, and the N.C. Day Care Association Board of Directors.

Hoyle holds both a bachelor's in sociology and master's in public administration from Western Carolina University. She received the Jackson County Business and Professional Women's Club Leadership Award in 1993-94.

The James and Carolyn Hunt Early Childhood Award, first established in 1995, is named for former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt and former First Lady Carolyn Hunt in recognition of their efforts to improve the early care and education of the state's youngest citizens.

SCDC operates approximately 35 child development centers in the seven most western counties of North Carolina and on the Qualla Boundary. In addition, the agency is the fiscal manager for subsidized child care in seven counties and operates the Region A child care resource and referral agency.

North Carolina Early Childhood Professional Development Awards were also presented to child care programs with exemplary professional development plans. Recipients of this year's awards, sponsored jointly by the N.C. Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, the N.C. Head Start Collaboration Office and CCSA, included Log Cabin Learning Center in Cherokee. CCSA is a non-profit organization committed to affordable, accessible, high quality child care for all families. CCSA manages a number of projects statewide.

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