KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — Goddard Systems LLC named Melissa Augustine, a pre-kindergarten teacher at The Goddard School in Wayne, New Jersey, as its 2026 Teacher of the Year, recognizing her work in early childhood education across the company’s national franchise network.
The award program, now in its 20th year, drew more than 11,700 nominations spanning over 7,500 teachers across the organization’s more than 680 schools nationwide.
Augustine was selected from 16 regional finalists representing infant, toddler, preschool/pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten classrooms across four U.S. regions.
Goddard Systems cited Augustine’s classroom management, family engagement, and focus on inclusive learning practices among the factors contributing to the recognition.
The company highlighted one instance in which Augustine worked with a family to address a child’s discomfort about bringing culturally significant foods to school by turning the experience into a broader classroom discussion centered on heritage and inclusion.
“Receiving this recognition is humbling and incredibly meaningful,” Augustine said in a statement. “Watching my students develop new skills, confidence and independence is what motivates me every single day.”
The Teacher of the Year award included an additional $5,000 cash prize for Augustine, while each regional finalist received $1,000, company merchandise, and a certificate.
Regional finalists included educators from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Minnesota, Indiana, Kansas, Illinois, Arizona, Washington, and Texas.
Among the Northeast finalists were Taylor Shank of Hershey, Pennsylvania; Kaylee Rios of Fairfield, New Jersey; Kerry Holland of Wayne, Pennsylvania; and Augustine, representing Wayne, New Jersey.
Goddard Systems manages The Goddard School early childhood education franchise network, which operates more than 680 locations across the United States.
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