Our country recently lost the “conscience of Congress.” Last month civil rights activist and longtime Georgia lawmaker John Lewis passed away. Throughout his life, he stood up for those whose voices weren’t heard and fought to ensure justice for all. He joined the Freedom Rides of 1961 to protest Jim Crow laws in the South, played a key role in the 1963 March on Washington and led a march from Selma to Montgomery, AL, which sped the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. After entering office in 1986, he called for health care reform, anti-poverty measures and improvements in education. The burden of our fight for equality was made lighter by his efforts. Now it’s time for us all to pick up his mantle and make a commitment to change.
“We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us,” Lewis once observed. And COVID-19 has put a spotlight on issues that fueled his fight as it hits people of color especially hard. They’re more likely to fall ill to the disease, get laid off from work and lose the child care on which they depend. They’re also less likely to hold jobs that let them work from home or have the internet access on which online schooling depends. So, their kids are more likely to fall behind and that could lead to more inequality later in life.
Sadly, child care is not a civil right, but centers are striving to provide it as the pandemic rages on. There’s a lot of focus on reopening child care settings in ways that keep our youngest children safe. Providers are taking steps to sanitize classrooms throughout the day, coming up with new protocols for pick-ups and drop-offs, making sure each child has their own materials to use during the day, and thinking about what do if a child gets sick and they have to close the center for a number of days.
It’s a big list during this pandemic and even more daunting because recent closures have put many child care providers in the red. So, we should applaud the U.S. House of Representatives, where Lewis once served, for passing the Child Care is Essential Act, a bill that grants providers a $50 billion fund to cover basic expenses such as payroll and rent.
We should now urge the Senate to heed the voice of conscience by also passing legislation to keep providers afloat. Providing an environment that keeps our children safe and gives parents peace of mind will benefit us all. But it’s most vital for vulnerable children and families of color like those for whom Lewis once relentlessly fought. As we wait for the Senate to do the right thing, we should remember the words with which Lewis approached the challenges he faced: “Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Never lose that sense of hope.”
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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.
Janice Bigelow
Chief Financial Officer
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.
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