By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

More than 1,000 Dept. of Education employees in a dozen DC 37 locals were recognized for two decades of dedicated service to the city and its 1.1 million schoolchildren at a Quality of Work Life ceremony at union headquarters Nov. 14.

“A child will remember your smile, your words of encouragement, and the kindness you show. That interaction may be the only positive adult interaction some children have at that time in their lives,” Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza said.

Carranza celebrated with the audience made up of school support staff who had reached 20 years of employment at the city Dept. of Education. “You really care about the children, our schools and our city,” he told the staffers. “Gracias! Thank you for a job well done!”

The QWL ceremony coincided with National Education Support Professionals Day and honored school support staff who are members of DC 37 Locals 154, 372, 375, 376, 924, 983, 1062, 1087, 1251, 1407, 1597, 2627, and other unions.

These workers are school accountants, clerical workers, crossing guards, lunch room aides, SAPIS counselors, cooks, custodians, drivers, laborers, translators and construction project managers who make sure the city’s 1,800 public schools operate efficiently every day.

“They say ‘It takes a village’,” said Shaun D. Francois I, president of Board of Education Employees Local 372. “You are that village.”

“You see the problems before they start. As caring and dedicated workers you are vital in the village that educates and supports students, families, and communities. You impact the lives of generations of New Yorkers,” Francois said. “Thank you for doing the important job of being a strong foundation of support for kids!”

The DC  37 Blog is an official online publication of District Council 37, AFSCME, which represents 125,000 municipal workers in New York.