Participants at the NAEYC Annual Conference in Atlanta displayed great enthusiasm about the ways the Council and the CDA are continuing to transform.  From the packed pre-conference session to the final CDA Celebration party, the excitement was palpable.  

The Council presented six CDA 2.0-related sessions over the course of three days to large audiences of early childhood professionals from all over the country.  At the Opening Plenary session of the conference, Dr. Valora Washington, Council CEO, stood before an audience of thousands to present the 300,000th CDA to Brenda Acero of St. Petersburg, Florida (see video in the next article).  

The Council also hosted six more intimate Chat sessions for a variety of audiences - representatives from training and scholarship organizations, prospective CDA Professional Development Specialists, bilingual members of the CDA community and more.  The Council’s booth in the Exhibit Hall greeted hundreds upon hundreds of visitors over the course of the conference, answering questions and listening to suggestions.  

Finally, the Council’s presence at the conference was capped off by the well-attended, once-in-a-lifetime “CDA Celebration” party, where guests mingled, enjoyed refreshments and danced away the hours.

Brenda Acero with Valora Washington and Deborah Jordan 

 Richard Cohen assists a member of the national CDA community at the Council's booth.

Vilma Williams, Mary LaMantia and Karolina Jasinska boogie down at the CDA Celebration party.