Bonnie Hasson, owner of Bonnie's House Play School, was awarded top Family Child Care Provider, and Lynda Brown, from the Appleseed Montessori School, was given an award for excellence in teaching.

Cumberland Child Development Center was honored for being an outstanding Child Care Center, and Appleseed Montessori's Warner Campus was honored in the Preschool category.

While this is the first year the Excellence awards have been given out, it is not the first time Sunnyvale has honored child-care providers and educators. From 1993 to 2003, the city gave Gold Seal Awards to nominees, along with a rating system of one to three stars. Hasson was a previous winner, achieving a three-star rating, the highest possible.

At the end of 2003, Sunnyvale asked the community to nominate candidates for the award. Communications Officer John Pilger said it made sense to ask residents for the nominations, because the child-care providers directly serve the Sunnyvale community.

"Who knows better if the providers are high quality than the community who uses them?" Pilger said.

There are more than 125 family child-care providers and more than 40 child-care centers in Sunnyvale. For more information about child care, call 408.730.7532 or visit www.sunnyvale.ca.gov and click on city services, then child-care resources.