Meet Cheryl Shelton, Our First Family Child Care Credential Holder

Cheryl Shelton, Washington State (CounciLINK, June 2013)

CDA Stories

Congratulations to Cheryl Shelton from Edmonds Washington, our first Family Child Care CDA to earn her credential in the new online system. Cheryl has owned Edmonds Daycare, a Family Child Care business in Edmonds Washington for 5 years. With a 5 member staff, she cares for 12 children between the ages of 0-5. In speaking to Cheryl, affectionately called “Grandma Cheryl” by children in her care, you could hear the passion and the enthusiasm for children in her voice. It is because of this passion that Cheryl transformed from a stay at home mom to a Family Child Care owner,stating, “I know I am in the right place every morning. I’m doing the right thing, at the right time, it is my passion.”There is no doubt Cheryl truly loves what she does and is willing to go what is necessary to maintain her business and grow professionally. She was incredibly grateful for the “Managing an effective program” portion of the CDA credential. She said she really learned a lot, she stated, “it helped me put things together and make my time in the office more productive.” She continued in saying that the professional portfolio has also been a great resource for her to refer back to and acts as reassurance to the provider and parents.

Cheryl had only positive things to say about the new CDA 2.0 credentialing process. Even stating that although she is not very computer savvy, she found everything, “simple, very step by step and pain free.” After receiving her “Ready to Schedule”, she enjoyed being able to go her own pace to complete the exam and CDA Verification Visit. She used the online PD Specialist Directory to find her PD Specialist, Darlene Cook, who she said was, “very professional….and great with the kids.” Cheryl says Darlene made everyone feel very comfortable and took lots of notes, which Cheryl appreciated.
Cheryl is an up and coming Family Child Care advocate. She recognizes that there is a great need for quality child care, education and resources in her field. In addition to pursing her own professional development, her goal is to work to help Family Child Care businesses gain recognition, resources and funding to be successful and meet state child care regulations. Cheryl is proud to be a model for others, now that she has taken the first step in earning her CDA Credential, anything is possible.
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