Don’t Become a Gossip Girl at Work
We have all been victims or participants of gossip at work, and sadly, this is no different in an early childhood education setting. Maybe it’s something you overheard in the hallway about a co-worker’s romantic...
The Council for Professional Recognition had the opportunity to speak to Tabatha Rosproy, the first-ever preschool educator to be named National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
Tabatha takes her responsibility as Teacher of the Year very seriously, as she’s a trailblazer by being the only early childhood educator to date to receive this prestigious award. She knows how hard it is for teachers, especially during the global pandemic, and she wants to empower teachers and elevate their voice. Tabatha told the Council that it is important to remind administrators, school districts and others to engage teachers in the decisions that are being made.
Her world was made a lot bigger by receiving this award, and she feels incredibly fortunate. She is looking forward to continuing to build visibility for early childhood educators long after her tenure as Teacher of the Year is over in July 2021.
Tabatha teaches preschool at the Winfield Early Learning Center (WELC) in Winfield, Kansas. Her school is housed in Cumbernauld Village, a local retirement community and nursing home. This intergenerational program provides preschoolers and senior residents the opportunity to interact with one another and build relationships. WELC is the first public school preschool program in Kansas to use this unique approach. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the students and “grandparents,” as the village residents are affectionately called, have paused in-person activities. But they are finding new ways to connect, including using technology, mailed letters and window visits.
“This is an extremely difficult time that none of us ever thought we would be facing,” said Tabatha. She hopes educators do not get discouraged, because she knows they are making a bigger impact than they realize. Her biggest piece of advice is to partner with families. “You are not only helping your students, but you are helping their families who are in this new situation with obstacles and problems to overcome, and you can be a valuable resource for them,” she said.
She added that it’s more important than ever to adopt a family coaching model. Tabatha has always been passionate about working with families, but the pandemic has amplified the need for this approach. “We always want to have good relationships with our students, of course, but focusing on our families will help us be in a better place for the future,” she says.
While Tabatha thinks children are particularly resilient, she has seen how hard it can be for teachers to keep our youngest learners engaged in new models of remote/hybrid education. Yet teachers are rising to the occasion. She joked that to keep children engaged, sometimes you may have to be willing to make a fool of yourself.
Since coming on board as the Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr. has shared his desire to encourage more men to pursue careers in early education. Tabatha echoed this notion and said she believes our students need to see themselves in their teachers. She has seen children respond differently to male educators, not because women are lacking in their abilities, but because men’s and women’s approach to nurturing children can be different. She believes our children need to have as many positive role models as possible.
The greatest advice Tabatha ever received was: “behavior is information.” In early education classrooms, a lot of the time is spent regulating behaviors. When Tabatha was a young teacher, she recalled taking it very personally when kids misbehaved. Once she recognized that her students needed help rather than discipline, she began to approach her teaching in a new way.
More details about Tabatha are on Twitter @TabathaRosproy, Instagram at ntoy2020 and Facebook at ntoy2020.
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Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Andrew Davis serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Council. In this role, Andrew oversees the Programs Division, which includes the following operational functions: credentialing, growth and business development, marketing and communications, public policy and advocacy, research, innovation, and customer relations.
Andrew has over 20 years of experience in the early care and education field. Most recently, Andrew served as Senior Vice President of Partnership and Engagement with Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, where he led the expansion of state and community-based partnerships to produce more equitable systems of service delivery, improved programmatic quality, and greater outcomes for communities, children and families. Prior to that, he served as Director of Early Learning at Follett School Solutions.
Andrew earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and Towson University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – University College.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Jan Bigelow serves as Chief Financial Officer at the Council and has been with the organization since February of 2022.
Jan has more than 30 years in accounting and finance experience, including public accounting, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. She has held management-level positions with BDO Seidman, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Pew Center for Global Climate Change, Communities In Schools, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and American Humane. Since 2003, Jan has worked exclusively in the non-profit sector where she has been a passionate advocate in improving business operations in order to further the mission of her employers.
Jan holds a CPA from the State of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College. She resides in Alexandria VA with her husband and dog.
Vice President of People and Culture
Janie Payne is the Vice President of People and Culture for the Council for Professional Recognition. Janie is responsible for envisioning, developing, and executing initiatives that strategically manage talent and culture to align people strategies with the overarching business vision of the Council. Janie is responsible for driving organizational excellence through strategic talent practices, orchestrating workforce planning, talent acquisition, performance management as well as a myriad of other Human Resources Programs. She is accountable for driving effectiveness by shaping organizational structure for optimal efficiency. Janie oversees strategies that foster a healthy culture to include embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization.
In Janie’s prior role, she was the Vice President of Administration at Equal Justice Works, where she was responsible for leading human resources, financial operations, facilities management, and information technology. She was also accountable for developing and implementing Equal Justice Works Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy focused on attracting diverse, mission-oriented talent and creating an inclusive and equitable workplace environment. With more than fifteen years of private, federal, and not-for-profit experience, Janie is known for her intuitive skill in administration management, human resources management, designing and leading complex system change, diversity and inclusion, and social justice reform efforts.
Before joining Equal Justice Works, Janie was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer for Global Communities, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of integrated HR and diversity strategies. Her work impacted employees in over twenty-two countries. She was responsible for the effective management of different cultural, legal, regulatory, and economic systems for both domestic and international employees. Prior to Global Communities, Janie enjoyed a ten-year career with the federal government. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, she held key strategic human resources positions with multiple cabinet-level agencies and served as an advisor and senior coach to leaders across the federal sector. In these roles, she received recognition from management, industry publications, peers, and staff for driving the creation and execution of programs that created an engaged and productive workforce.
Janie began her career with Verizon Communications (formerly Bell Atlantic), where she held numerous roles of increasing responsibility, where she directed a diversity program that resulted in significant improvement in diversity profile measures. Janie was also a faculty member for the company’s Black Managers Workshop, a training program designed to provide managers of color with the skills needed to overcome barriers to their success that were encountered because of race. She initiated a company-wide effort to establish team-based systems and structures to impact corporate bottom line results which was recognized by the Department of Labor. Janie was one of the first African American women to be featured on the cover of Human Resources Executive magazine.
Janie received her M.A. in Organization Development from American University. She holds numerous professional development certificates in Human Capital Management and Change Management, including a Diversity and Inclusion in Human Resources certificate from Cornell University. She completed the year-long Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program sponsored by The Schaefer Center for Public Policy and The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. She is a trained mediator and Certified Professional Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership America, former board chair of the NTL Institute and currently co-steward of the organization’s social justice community of practice, and a member of The Society for Human Resource Management. Additionally, Janie is the Board Chairperson for the Special Education Citizens Advisory Council for Prince Georges County where she is active in developing partnerships that facilitate discussion between parents, families, educators, community leaders, and the PG County school administration to enhance services for students with disabilities which is her passion. She and her husband Randolph reside in Fort Washington Maryland.
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