12:06 p.m., Jan. 5, 2010----The University of Delaware has announced the winner of the 2009 Delaware Quality Award. This year, Bayhealth Medical Center's Child Care and Early Learning Center has been awarded the Delaware Quality Award of Merit.

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The award will be presented at the Delaware Quality Award luncheon at UD's John M. Clayton Hall on Thursday, Feb. 4.

The Delaware Quality Award was established in 1992, based on the Baldrige National Quality Program criteria for performance excellence.

The Delaware award program honors the late W. L. (Bill) Gore for his effort in promoting excellence, innovation and a positive working environment at his company, W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

The award criteria are based on the world's best-performing organizations and are used to examine and provide feedback to organizations in the areas of leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, knowledge management, workforce engagement and process improvement. The criteria incorporate the integration and alignment of these areas to create positive results.

This year's Award of Merit specifically recognizes Bayhealth's Child Care and Early Learning Center as a Delaware role model in the areas of leadership, workforce focus and customer focus.

The Child Care Center and Early Learning Center opened in 1988 to provide child care services for Bayhealth employees. Since 2000, the center has been accredited and in good standing with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The center has also received the status of being a Five Star Child Care Center in alliance with the State of Delaware Stars Program.

In 2001 and 2006, the center received the Governors Award for Excellence in Early Care and Education. The center also received the 2008 Delaware Quality Award's Delaware Quality Commitment Award.

"Our Child Care Center plays a critical role in our ability to meet the staffing needs of our patients and has a positive impact on the lives of our employees' children," says Jon McDowell, Bayhealth's vice president of human resources. "The center has built a reputation of working closely with parents and has demonstrated positive results for children attending the center. I am extremely proud of the staff of the center and their accomplishments."

The Feb. 4 Delaware Quality Award Luncheon is being planned as a celebration of the 18-year history of the Delaware Quality Award program in Delaware, recognizing the many individuals and organizations who have contributed to the program's success.

Article by Nora Riehl Zelluk