In June, Council President/CEO Valora Washington was involved in two “good-byes" from her work in Boston. For five years, she worked with elementary school principals in the Boston Public Schools to help them create better environments for 3- to 8-year-olds. In a celebratory dinner attended by the principals and the Boston school superintendent, this work came to its official close. The principals talked about the accomplishments and changes in their schools, which have made them a better place for young learners.

Also, Valora was honored with an “advocacy award for excellence in early education and care in appreciation for your tireless advocacy of high quality, universal early education” at a dinner sponsored by the Children’s Services of Roxbury. About 300 people attended the dinner which included an inspirational keynote address by a business executive who grew up in foster care.

This week, at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, the Council sponsored a session entitled “A Great Start Up the ECE Career Ladder: A New Look at the CDA Credential and Competency-based Professional Development”.  Valora Washington, CEO, highlighted many of the exciting changes currently underway at the Council:

• The new cdacouncil.org website that includes the YourCDA online renewal system (coming soon: the online initial application submission system), the online bookstore, and the “How To Earn Your CDA” pages that explain the CDA process with easy-to-follow visuals and text
• The change in requirements that now allow high school students to apply for CDAs
• The upcoming revisions to the Home Visitors credentialing program
• The key partnerships the Council is developing with various states and agencies that support credentialing
• The work currently in progress to update all of the Council’s publications and related exams to ensure that the content is even more accessible and relevant to diverse candidates