Jeanette Sauers
Child Care Licensing Specialist

Department of Services for Children, Youth and Families
Division of Family Services
Office of Child Care Licensing
1825 Faulkland Road
Wilmington, DE

Delaware

Jeanette Sauers, the Delaware Division of Family Services Employee of the Year in 2003, serves as a shining example of the values of the Children's Department. A Licensing Specialist with the Office of Child Care Licensing, she has been with the Division of Family Services for 21 years. Nominating her for employee of the year, an executive director of the Young Men's Christian Association wrote: "Jeanette should be commended for her dedication and untiring efforts in helping to develop quality early childhood programs in Delaware. Ms. Sauers has always been a team player and a partner in our child care program and demonstrates that year after year."

For several months, Ms. Sauers, despite her struggle with a life threatening illness, would manage to return to work and in full spirits to update her caseload. She experienced some setbacks with her illness yet maintained her caseload visits to ensure child safety, as well as continued to assist her colleagues and to offer technical assistance to child care facilities prior or subsequent to opening. Recently, in fact, Ms. Sauers licensed seven facilities in one day - a modern day record!

Jeanette Sauers serves as an ambassador, representing the Children's Department on numerous committees that work to improve the quality of child care. These include FACET, Early Head Start, and the New Castle County Head Start Advisory Board. She also has worked diligently as a member of the task force charged with revising Child Care Center Regulations.

Always striving to better herself with professional development, Ms. Sauers created a training program, Staying in Compliance, to help providers better understand and meet requirements. Recognizing a need in the community, she now strives to establish a Hispanic Providers Support Group.

Jeanette Sauers persists as a strong advocate for children. Her work to ensure safe and stable child care is both her calling and her passion, an embodiment of the Children's Department vision statement: "Think of the Child First."