Tennessee: The Council Presents at the National Head Start Conference
Council CEO Valora Washington and Early Childhood Specialist Mary Beth Johnson traveled to Nashville, TN to present CDA General Information and Advisor Training sessions at the 39th National Head Start Conference. “Everyone was very excited about CDA 2.0,” said Washington, “and appreciated hearing, firsthand, all of the information. The Council is so appreciative of our longstanding history with the Head Start community and we look forward to coming up with new ways to be of service to this important group as the CDA moves forward.” Council Board member Gayle Cunningham, executive director, Jefferson County, Alabama Committee for Economic Opportunity gave eloquent closing remarks about the importance of the CDA and entry-level teacher credentialing at the Closing Session of the conference.
North Carolina: Washington Delivers Keynote Address at T.E.A.C.H Symposium
Valora Washington was honored to deliver the keynote address at the T.E.A.C.H. Symposium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Washington spoke passionately about the importance of credentialing and professional development in the early childhood field. Her words were warmly welcomed and appreciated by all participants, including Sue Russell, President of Child Care Services Association, who introduced Valora.
Following Valora’s presentation, Mary Beth Johnson led a session detailing the upcoming processes of CDA 2.0. The feedback was extremely positive regarding the upcoming streamlined system and the participants were pleased to be able to ask questions and have them answered by Johnson and Washington.
North Carolina Contributing to a National "Think Tank"
Leading scholars came together in North Carolina March 29th-30th at a "think tank" working conference on teacher education. Valora Washington represented the Council for Professional Recognition. Convened by FirstSchool, an effort working with low income high minority schools in North Carolina and Michigan, the think tank was motivated by several factors including: the historic divide between early, elementary and special education, the marginalization of early childhood in conversations about teacher education and diverse perspectives of what teacher education is all about. Participants in the conference think tank learned from one another about the challenges and possibilities in the preparation of new teachers and considered how we might better use our collective wisdom to improve teacher preparation to support a greater diversity of young learners.
Utah: CDA Representatives and Advisors Trained
Vivienne Oxford and Vilma Williams, Council Early Childhood Specialists, traveled to Orem, Utah to conduct training at the Utah Early Childhood Conference. They trained new Council Representatives and conducted a CDA General Information session, an Advisor training and a Council Representative Refresher training. All attendees were very excited to hear about the impending launch of CDA 2.0 and are looking forward to hearing more information about all of the new changes going on at the Council!
Virginia: Home Visitor CDA Presented at Early Head Start National Resource Center
On March 20th, Mary Beth Johnson, Council ECE Specialist, conducted a Home Visitor General Information Session at the Early Head Start National Resource Center, Program for Infant and Toddler Caregiver Home Visiting Institute (EHS NRC PITC HV Institute for short!) in Leesburg, Virginia. This marked the first time the Council has given training at a conference regarding the newly updated Home Visitor credentialing process. The participants were almost all Home Visitors that did not yet hold a HV CDA Credential. They were very pleased to hear about the new system and were happy to have the Council represented at the conference.
Arizona: The CDA Credential as a Key Step along the Career Pathway
Deborah Jordan represented the Council at the Professional Career Pathway Project (PCPP) Spring 2012 Collaborator’s Meeting on April 13 in Casa Grande, Arizona. The meeting participants included representatives from 16 Arizona Community Colleges, the TEACH Scholarship Program and sponsoring agencies, the Department of Economic Security and Child Care Administration. The PCPP grant provides funding for early childhood courses and textbook stipends, including selected courses that help Candidates in center-based programs and family child care homes to obtain the CDA Credential.
Pennsylvania: Washington Thanks Educators at Leadership and Public Policy Forum
Valora Washington, Council CEO, delivered an address at the Pennsylvania Leadership and Public Policy Forum in Pennsylvania in late March. This provided an opportunity for she and the Council to acknowledge early care and learning professionals for the work that they do and their contributions to the lives of children and families.