A woman who spent 35 years teaching Chile's youngest children has been named the country's best teacher. Myrian Salinas, an early childhood educator who founded and directs the Un Mundo de Amor early learning centre in Puente Alto, on the southern edge of Santiago, won the Global Teacher Prize Chile 2026 at a ceremony at the Teatro Municipal de Las Condes on Wednesday, 4 November.

The award, organised by the Chilean nonprofit Elige Educar with UNESCO's support, drew more than 5,000 nominations from across the country this year. Salinas was first recognised as the winner of the Early Childhood Education category and was then chosen as the national winner from the teachers honoured in all three categories. According to Cooperativa and CNN Chile, the national prize comes with 8 million pesos.

"Our project was created with all those women in mind who often raise their children alone and do not have a support network. But it is much more than that: it is a space where families find support and their children can access quality education." — Myrian Salinas, as quoted by UNESCO

Learning that starts with a child's question

Salinas's centre serves working families and households headed by women, a group that often struggles to find reliable, good-quality care for small children. Her teaching begins with what the children themselves want to know. One question, "Does sunlight paint?", grew into projects in painting, photography and other kinds of art, UNESCO reports.

The centre's community has also built and kept up a vegetable garden, paid for through a flea market selling toys donated by families. The jury praised her willingness to keep learning, to reflect on her own practice, and to share what she knows with other early childhood educators.

"Myrian's experience demonstrates that education centred on children, which promotes family participation and fosters curiosity and learning, has the power to open up new opportunities and leave a lasting impact on people's lives," said Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago.

Teachers from Biobío to Chiloé

Two other teachers won their categories. Tania Isla, a biology teacher at Colegio Don Orione in Los Ángeles, in the Biobío Region, was honoured in Comprehensive Education for her work to close gender gaps in science and encourage girls to aim for scientific careers. Julio Veas, a travelling music teacher in rural schools on the island of Chiloé in the Los Lagos Region, won the Music Education category; his students research native birds and build traditional instruments.

Speaking at the ceremony, Education Minister María Paz Arzola said that recognising and backing teachers matters even more in the age of artificial intelligence, because no manual or technology can replace the bond between a teacher and their students.

What still needs to be done

Prizes shine a light on a few, but the organisers' message is about the many. UNESCO used the occasion to stress the importance of valuing the teaching profession as a whole. Salinas herself said her centre was born because Puente Alto lacked a place where early childhood was truly respected, a reminder that access to caring, good-quality early education still depends too much on where a family lives and what it can afford.

Why it matters

The first years of life are when children build the foundations for everything they learn later. Teachers who welcome both children and their families, especially mothers raising children alone, can change the course of a young life, and celebrating them helps attract and keep good people in the profession.

Learn more

• UNESCO: Global Teacher Prize Chile 2026 recognizes early childhood educator
• Cooperativa: Educadora de párvulos de Puente Alto es la mejor profesora de Chile (in Spanish)
• CNN Chile: Myrian Salinas gana el Global Teacher Prize Chile 2026 (in Spanish)

Sources: UNESCO, "Global Teacher Prize Chile 2026 recognizes early childhood educator for her commitment to children and education communities," 5 November 2026; Cooperativa, "Educadora de párvulos de Puente Alto es la mejor profesora de Chile," 5 November 2026; CNN Chile, "Del jardín comunitario en Puente Alto al 'Nobel de la enseñanza': Myrian Salinas gana el Global Teacher Prize Chile 2026," November 2026.

How you can help

These organisations support early learning and great teaching in Chile:

• Elige Educar works to raise the standing of the teaching profession in Chile and organises the Global Teacher Prize Chile.
• Fundación Oportunidad works to improve the quality of early childhood education in Chile and supported this year's Early Childhood Education category.
• UNICEF Chile advocates for children's rights in Chile, including access to good-quality early childhood education.