A Portage Life in the Spotlight: Dawn Price

dawn-priceIt takes a special person to be a teacher. They have to be patient, kind, selfless, and accepting of the fact that their job does not end at 3pm. But you know, there are teachers everywhere and in places that you may not expect. And when you find out that they are there you become even more impressed and respectful of the place and the teachers within it. Take the Portage Township YMCA for instance. Did you know that there is a child care center there? The official title is the Child Care and Development Center and its purpose is to provide working families access to affordable and good quality curriculum-based child care and development.

This is great! You can bring you children to a place where they will not only be cared for and watched over, but they will also learn. But what about the people who work there and are part of this development center? Are they fit to watch your kids? You don’t really know them, after all.

I can tell you from my extensive work with the Portage YMCA that some wonderful and caring people work there. And they have just added to their ranks of wonderful people. Ladies, gentlemen, parents and kids; I’d like for you to meet Dawn Price. She’s the new Child Care and Development Center Director.

Price was born and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana. She attended Portage schools and was very active in her science and Spanish clubs.

“My parents would describe me as an outgoing, flexible and quiet child. I was a quietly ambitious,” Price said.

After graduation, she attended Ivy Tech where she received her associate’s degree in Marketing. She then moved on to Purdue North Central to obtain her bachelor’s in Education. After college, Price taught at schools throughout Northwest Indiana. She taught kindergarten for two years at Union Township Schools, first grade for a year in Lake Station at Carl Polk Elementary, and three years of Title One at Duneland Schools. What brought her to the Portage Township YMCA was its principles and mission.

“What drew me was the Christian based principals and that they believe in the community,” Price said.

As the Director of the Child Care and Development Center, Price must wear many hats. Her tasks include (but aren’t limited to): creation an implementation of curriculum, creation of employee schedules, tours, hiring of new employees, training employees, and enrolling new parents and their children in the different programs that are offered at the Child Care and Development Center.

Though she has only been with the YMCA for a short time, she has already formed a bond with the Y and everyone in it.

“I love it. I love being part of the Y. It’s very much a family here. And I love that I work for a faith-based organization,” Price said. “There is a major sense of community here in Portage and they are very accepting of all cultures. I grew up here so I have a connection.”

Outside of work, Price works for Lakeshore PAWS and takes on the role of foster mom for dogs. She really is a mom, too. Price has a daughter named Lindsey (Lulu for short) and she adores her.

“The doctor named her Lulu Ladybug when she was born and it just stuck,” Price said with a laugh.

In her free time, Price enjoys reading, gardening, riding horses and taking care of animals. Along with foster dogs, Price has a cat named Truffles. She also loves shopping with her daughter and taking her to the park.

In the future, Price hopes to obtain her master’s degree and continue to work and grow with the Portage YMCA. Her piece of advice that she wishes to leave with us this wonderful quote from St. Jerome that originated from way back in the 4th Century. It was told to her by a teacher of hers, Maggie Alexander.

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best,” Price recited to me. “I am able to apply this in everything I do.”

We can all take a page from her book and strive to do our best each day, and make our best even better the next day. I’m quite happy that this Portage Life in the Spotlight is teaching our youth, aren’t you?