Program Information
The Private School Teachers of the Year (TOY) program is administered by the Orange County Department of Education Educational Services division to select a nominee for the Orange County Teachers of the Year program. Each private school may nominate one or two teachers (depending on school size).
The program's goals are to:
- Promote exemplary teachers from Orange County private schools.
- Encourage the participation of teachers employed by private schools in the Orange County Teachers of the Year program.
- Create access to the county recognition program and application process for those teachers who cannot participate in their local school district program.
- Identify one exemplary teacher to nominate for the Orange County Teachers of the Year program.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the 2026 Private School TOY program, teachers must submit an application via their private school employer and must meet the following criteria:
- Teach any pre-kindergarten through grade twelve curriculum to children or adults.
- Be a fully credentialed teacher currently employed full-time at an Orange County private school for the 2024-2025 academic year, with intent to teach for the 2025-2026 academic year.
- Have completed eight years of fully credentialed teaching by March 2025.
- Not previously nominated to a Teacher of the Year program in any California county.
Selection Process
In order to participate in the Private School TOY program, applicants must submit an application via their private school employer. Private schools should establish their own processes for selecting exemplary teachers to submit to the Private School TOY program. One teacher will be selected as the private school nominee to advance to the Orange County Teachers of the Year program for consideration as a county finalist.
To evaluate submitted applications, the Educational Services division convenes a selection committee consisting of administrators, staff, partner organizations and teachers. Each application received is reviewed and scored based on a rubric and selected by consensus of the selection committee.
Application Submission Information
A complete 2026 Private School TOY application for each selected nominee must be submitted by the nominating private school by 11:59 p.m., Friday, February 7, 2025, via electronic mail to twalsh@ocde.us.
Timeline of Activities
December 2024
| Private school head of school or designee attends optional information session via Zoom on December 12, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Private schools submit an Intent to Participate form to the Educational Services division to twalsh@ocde.us by December 20, 2024. Participating private schools will then receive an application packet.
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December 2024/January 2025
| Participating private schools select their school nominee.
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February 2025
| Private school nominee submits a complete Private School TOY application packet via email mail to twalsh@ocde.us by February 7, 2025.
The Educational Services division convenes a selection committee to select a nominee to represent private schools in the 2026 Orange County Teachers of the Year program and submits nominee for consideration as a county finalist.
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November 2025
| The selected private school nominee is invited to attend the Orange County Teachers of the Year recognition banquet at Disneyland Hotel on Friday, November 7, 2025, along with their family and school administrators.
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For more information, please contact Trish Walsh at: twalsh@ocde.us
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