Charleston woman named August Employee of the Month
August 23, 2017
The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SC DSS) established the Employee of the Month program to recognize staff members who perform their jobs exceptionally well, go above and beyond what is expected of them, and in doing so, demonstrates our core principles of competence, courage, and compassion. Bridget Hinson, Program Coordinator II in ABC Quality, Division of Early Care and Education, was one of four selected for August.
Ms. Hinson, who has been with DSS for 12 years, was first employed with the agency in 2005 as a Child Care Licensing Specialist. In 2007, she was promoted to her current position with ABC Quality.
What was her reaction to being named Employee of the Month? “I was surprised and felt that my success is only a part of a much larger team of colleagues who are working to support quality child care environments for children,” Ms. Hinson said. “The most rewarding part of my job is seeing programs improve their quality or understanding of best practices based on my recommendations (through technical assistance or training). This happens over time, but has a direct positive impact on the experiences that children receive on a daily basis. I am very passionate about what I do, because we know that the majority of brain development occurs from birth to age five. Therefore every moment a child experiences during these years will have a lifelong impact.”
Ms. Hinson was selected by management in the Division of Early Care and Education Adult “for initiative, persistence, creativity, and thoughtfulness displayed in her work on major revisions to the ABC Quality Child Care Standards. These standards will impact over 1,000 child care programs and almost 10,000 staff throughout the state serving children and families.”
She currently resides in Charleston, SC and works both in the Columbia and Charleston offices.
Honorees are selected by their managers for outstanding performance in one or several of the following areas:
- Meets deadlines ahead of schedule.
- Initiates ideas that positively impact staff or procedures.
- Helps the Agency realize cost effective measures.
- Performs well on special projects.
- Provides “exceptional” customer service.
- Motivates others to achieve and succeed.
Staff selected for the Employee of the Month Program are awarded with:
- An invitation to join the State Director and the other honorees for lunch at the State Office in Columbia.
- A dedicated parking space at their office location for the month
- A photo and write-up displayed in the lobby of the State Office.
- A write-up sent to the awardee’s community newspaper announcing the achievement.
Other August winners were Aron Doten, Child Support Enforcement Manager; Sharon Parsonage, Child Welfare Worker; and Tiffany Brand, Constituent Services.
