Finding Your Happy and Your JoyA teacher’s greatest joy is to watch a child succeed. And that’s kept our early childhood teachers going during COVID. In New York, Tara Entrieri put her students first when her preschool, Stepping Stones, went remote. “I turned my one-bedroom apartment into a classroom,” she said, “invited my husband and pets to join our class as we played games, read stories, baked, had dance parties and continued our learning throughout the year.” In Ohio, teachers at CTK Kids Learning put in 12- to 16-hour days. “We didn’t close one single day,” said director Mandy Young. “My teachers didn’t get time off. You had to keep going with a smile on your face behind the mask.” And Krista Campbell, owner of Madrone Montessori in California, committed to staying open so “children could be productive and purposeful each day,” she said. “We have happy children and happy teachers, and that makes me happy, too.”
Happiness is not the same as joy, as I pointed out at the Council’s annual conference this month. Happiness is fleeting while joy is in your gut and soul, so it transcends the moment. Still, you can’t end up with a joyful life without pursuing what makes you happy. And that’s more difficult now as the early childhood field faces the roadblocks brought on by the pandemic: new regulations, staffing challenges, declining enrollments and rising costs.
So, it’s especially important now that we, as early childhood teachers, know and grasp the seven steps that let you find your happy: knowing who you are, forgiveness, letting go of the past, shedding past hurts and disappointments, eliminating toxic relationships, loving yourself, and loving God or having some sort of deep spiritual belief. Following these simple steps will put you on the path toward happiness—and ultimately a more joyful life.
When you have joy, you can get through anything: a bad marriage, a bad relationship—and even the problems posed by the pandemic. If you have joy, you have the answer to all the challenges you face and can get your life back on track. Joy lifts you up, as some members of our field have already understood. They’ve been lifting themselves up for years, despite few resources, slim support and meager pay. The creativity they’ve shown has allowed them to also lift up the children and families they serve.
Early childhood teachers like these play a vital role in our nation, and COVID has finally helped them get some of the kudos they deserve. There’s now broad public agreement that our profession is essential, leading to more government funding for providers. This is our moment. So, we must emerge from the pandemic ready to renew and reimagine what we do. Pause to reflect on where you are so you don’t stumble blindly ahead. Let go of the hurts of the past to surmount the hurdles of the future.
Our field has the commitment, as well as the courage, to get things done and lead the way to new chances for learning. We also have each other. While the pandemic has torn apart relationships in other sectors, we have seen the members of our community forge bonds that are stronger than ever. “You’ve got me, and I’ve got you,” as indie musician Josh Lovelace once sang. And that makes our profession strong.
What brings us together is a common sense of purpose: to serve young children and their families. We also share the conviction that quality education is what makes learning a pleasure. And as we start to renew our field, we should keep these core beliefs at the front of our minds. They define who you are as both a person and a teacher.
So does the tremendous sense of fulfillment we get from our work and the impact it makes on young learners. “It is the supreme art of the teacher,” Albert Einstein once said, “to awaken creative expression and knowledge”—two key things young children need to find happiness, meaning, passion and purpose in life.
We need to make knowledge and creative expression priorities in our own lives, too, if we are to make an impact on children. We must practice what we preach—especially when it comes to joy. “When someone is taught the joy of learning, it becomes a lifelong process,” explained author and educator Marva Collins. “That is the challenge and joy of teaching.” Let’s find our happy and our joy for the sake of the children we serve.
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Vice President of Strategic Alliances
Elisa Shepherd is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances at the Council, where she leads initiatives to advance the Council’s mission and strategic plan through designing, managing, and executing a comprehensive stakeholder relationship strategy.
With over 25 years of experience in early childhood education (ECE), Elisa has dedicated her career to developing impactful programs, professional development opportunities, and public policies that support working families, young children, and ECE staff. Before joining the Council, Elisa held numerous roles within the childcare industry. Most recently, she served as Associate Vice President at The Learning Experience and as Senior Manager at KinderCare Education, where she influenced government affairs and public policies across 40 states.
Elisa’s commitment to leadership is reflected in her external roles on the Early Care and Education Consortium Board of Directors, the Florida Chamber Foundation Board of Trustees, and as the DEI Caucus Leader for KinderCare Education. She has been recognized as an Emerging Leader in Early Childhood by Childcare Exchange’s Leadership Initiative.
Elisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a focus on child development from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.
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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