McKinney Goddard School Owner Wins National Educational Excellence Award

Tanny Rahman's preschool in McKinney's Craig Ranch teaches three- and four-year-olds through an inquiry-based curriculum called Wonder of Learning, which asks children to observe, question, and construct understanding rather than sit through rote repetition. That approach earned her a national distinction in March. Her school sits within a Dallas-Fort Worth Goddard School market where twenty campuses collectively ran a regional diaper drive that put more than 42,000 diapers into the hands of local families and nonprofits, addressing a material need that never shows up on child-care quality ratings.

Rahman, owner of The Goddard School of McKinney-Craig Ranch, received the 2026 Educational Excellence Award at the Goddard franchise convention in San Antonio. The honor recognizes franchisees who deliver consistent, intentional programming across every classroom, maintaining strong family satisfaction scores and meeting continuous-improvement benchmarks. Her campus has also earned the highest accreditation level from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a credential held by a small share of early childhood programs nationwide.

The same awards cycle that recognized Rahman individually gave the DFW market as a whole the Humanitarian Award for organizing the regional drive. The 42,000-diaper total was distributed to local organizations and families across the area, filling a gap that federal assistance programs leave open: neither WIC nor SNAP covers diapers, meaning low-income households absorb the full cost themselves or go without.

In practical terms, an infant or toddler uses roughly eight to ten diapers per day. At that pace, 42,000 diapers represent a week's supply for more than 600 families, or a full month's worth for around 140 households. Urban Institute research found that 59 percent of Texas children in low-income families face diaper insecurity, a rate that produces measurable consequences, including parents losing work shifts when daycares turn away children who arrive without clean diapers, and caregivers cutting back on food or medication to cover the cost.

The National Diaper Bank Network reported in 2023 that nearly half of all U.S. families with children under three experienced diaper need that year, a sharp increase from earlier studies.

Collin County families who want to support future drives can contact local Goddard School campuses to ask about upcoming collection windows and donation drop-off options. Regional diaper banks and family resource centers across North Texas also accept contributions year-round.

For parents evaluating early childhood programs in McKinney, the Educational Excellence Award functions as an independent signal from the franchise system that the Craig Ranch campus meets its highest instructional standards, measured through curriculum consistency, family feedback, and third-party accreditation. The diaper drive adds a second layer: a documented record of using private early childhood infrastructure to reach families most exposed when household budgets collapse.