Word Cloud Early Childhood Profession
1. What are the major challenges you face in our profession right now? 2. What will it take for you to thrive over the next decade? 3. Would you encourage a...
One of the primary competencies that early-childhood educators develop when they earn a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is building strong relationships with children’s families — including families who don’t speak English at home.
While the term “dual-language learners” (DLL) often brings to mind children whose home language is Spanish, early-childhood education classrooms are increasingly filled with children who speak multiple languages — what a new report from the Migration Policy Institute refers to as “linguistically super diverse.”
With the percentage of children who come from non-English-speaking homes more than doubling over the past 30 years, now is a great time for early childhood educators to adapt best practices for working with DLLs in their workplace. The “The Language of the Classroom: Dual Language Learners in Head Start, Public Pre-K, and Private Preschool Programs”1 provides some timely recommendations for how to better support the learning of children from such diverse home environments.
Focusing on six exemplary early-childhood classrooms in Boston, the authors identify culturally appropriate teaching practices that guide how early educators interact with families and encourage children to continue developing literacy skills in their own home language as they also learn English. Here are a few highlights:
Jan Betz, the director of quality initiatives at Action for Children in Columbus, Ohio, provides training for providers who work in some of these “superdiverse” classrooms. Somalia, Sudan, Morocco and Cambodia are just a few of the countries represented by the children in the programs where they work. It’s often a priority for parents, she says, and that their children learn English as soon as possible so they will do well once they enter kindergarten.
Even so, Colorín Colorado, an online resource for educators who work with English learners, also provides some strategies that CDAs can use to help young children make the transition from their home language to acquiring more English.
Emphasizing new vocabulary—and repeating these words often—is one helpful practice. Providing plenty of opportunities for DLLs to talk with adults and English-speaking peers is another. Read-alouds and commenting on what is happening in the classroom throughout the day also reinforces the language skills children are learning. Finally, the physical layout of the classroom and predictable routines can also support language development as children pick up the vocabulary they need for certain activities in the space or at specific times of the day.
It’s also important for program directors to hire educators or classroom assistants who speak children’s home languages to make classrooms as inclusive as possible. Some Head Start and Early Head Start programs are even providing CDA training programs for parents, which can increase the diversity of the early education workforce.
Preparing young children for kindergarten—where they may not encounter as much home language support—is a primary responsibility for early-childhood educators. New America provides some perspective on a policy is increasingly affecting young children when they enter school—kindergarten readiness assessments. Janie T. Carnock notes that these assessments often don’t take into consideration DLLs and only assess children in English. “The development of bilingual children looks fundamentally different than their monolingual peers given that DLLs’ knowledge and skills are spread across two languages,” she writes.
While a few states now offer Spanish versions of these assessments or allow accommodations, such as current, non-verbal responses, for DLLs, Carnock recommends that all states assess DLLs in their home language and dedicate funds for bilingual assessors and valid bilingual assessment instruments. CDAs can help young children prepare for kindergarten—and these assessments—by spending time on alphabet knowledge, matching sounds to letters through rhyming and songs, and giving children plenty of experiences with books and other print resources.
It’s also important to note that public schools are now preparing students for a global economy by increasingly recognizing the value of bilingualism and adding funds for dual language immersion programs. As that occurs, elementary teachers could potentially benefit by learning some of the strategies for DLLs that CDAs already use, such as building strong relationships with families, bringing home language materials into the classroom and encouraging children to use the language skills they are acquiring as much as possible. DLLs can thrive once they enter school and having early-childhood educators who know
1. What are the major challenges you face in our profession right now? 2. What will it take for you to thrive over the next decade? 3. Would you encourage a...
Formal education may stop when the bell rings at the end of the day, but children can and should keep learning and exercising their development at home. However, with many families being too busy or...
In early childhood education, building children’s cognitive skills does not always require a structured lesson plan. Why? Because children need time on their own to experience and learn from their surroundings and alongside others through...
In early childhood education (ECE) the phrase “back-to-school” can have different meanings. Certain ECE programs are ongoing throughout the year, such as those for infants and toddlers, however, when it comes to preschool, these classrooms...
How important is professional development at your workplace? In the early childhood education setting, professional development (PD) plans are essential for educators or administrators looking to further their careers and support their employees’ academic success....
Children are natural born scientists in their own unique ways. From birth, they are curious, natural explores whether they are by looking around or cooing. When they start to speak they engage others with words,...
For children from age birth to five, attending an early education setting, whether it is a family child care facility, child care center, or preschool, helps them to physically and emotionally shape their developmental milestones....
Most early childhood educators would agree that it’s important to lead young children toward good classroom behavior. They may also enjoy learning and interacting with others more; and, be less troublesome as a result. 3...
oung children rejoice from spending time outdoors any given day. Playtime also provides important physical, mental and social development opportunities for young children. Summertime lets kids be outside where they can absorb new skills, discover...
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.
Read our monthly e-newsletter and keep up to date on all Council programs and services, as well as the latest news in the world of early care and education. Subscribe today to stay connected with us. You’ll receive timely information on events, webinars, special promotions, and more.