Montgomery County Staff Wins 2025 NACo Award for Refugee Women Childcare Program

Montgomery County Child Care Support Services Program Manager Liran Laor has been honored with a 2025 NACo Achievement Award for the 'Rising Together: Inclusive Pathways to Child Care Employment for Refugee Women' initiative. The program recruited and trained 60 Afghan refugee women for roles in early childhood education through culturally responsive training in Farsi, Dari, and Pashto, along with employment support including resume writing and interview coaching. The initiative was developed in response to the county's child care educator shortage and employment barriers facing Afghan refugee women.