Downingtown, PA – Heather Kilgore, a Chester County educator, has been selected as a semi-finalist for the 2024 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. Each year, public school teachers who support K-12 are recognized by the Teacher of the Year program for excellence in teaching and outstanding academic contributions to Pennsylvania’s school-aged children.

Kilgore is a multiple disabilities support teacher (MDS) at the Child and Career Development Center (CCDC). Her teaching career began at CCDC in the fall of 2004, where she served as a student teacher in a high school learning support classroom. Kilgore was officially hired at CCDC for a middle and high school emotional support classroom in January 2005. She continued to teach in that classroom until 2014; that same year, she transitioned to her current role as a teacher in a K-4 MDS classroom. Heather’s steadfast commitment to her students has been acknowledged through this nomination and she will now advance to the next stage of the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year program.

"I am so humbled and honored to have been chosen as a semi-finalist for PA Teacher of the Year. My students mean the world to me and have taught me so much more about life than I ever could have imagined. Their families and the staff I have had the privilege to work with have helped to create a loving, positive environment for everyone who enters my classroom,” says Kilgore. “I truly believe dedication and compassion are the foundations for success in the classroom. Teaching is my passion and I feel privileged to get to do something I love every single day!"

The semi-finalists will participate in interviews and submit a recorded teaching episode that displays their instructional strategies. Twelve finalists will be selected from the semi-finalist pool. 

The Teacher of the Year will be announced at the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) annual SAS Institute.