A Head Start for Human Rights: Marking Malala Day 2026A 16-year-old girl dressed in pink stood before the United Nations on July 12, 2013, and proclaimed, “I am here to speak up for the rights of education for every child.” It was Malala Day at the U.N.’s Youth Assembly, and Malala Yousafzai came to issue a call for action: empower all children with knowledge, an ideal for which she had almost sacrificed her life. Nine months earlier, gunmen had attacked her on a bus in Pakistan for advocating for girls’ education. “They shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends, too. They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed. Then, out of that silence came thousands of voices,” Malala declared. Now she urged her peers worldwide to also join their voices to support peaceful change, human rights and education for every child. “We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world.”
Young people from 40 countries showed they shared Malala’s sense of conviction last year when the Human Rights Council in Geneva invited them to express their views on potential additions to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989. The potential provisions were to “explicitly recognize that the right to education includes early care and education,” as well as “make public preprimary education available free to all, beginning with at least one year.” These were proposals that drew comments from over 8,000 respondents, some as young as three, who showed how much they cherished early learning.
Their thoughts touched on both the cognitive and social-emotional aspects of early care and education, areas to which I have given much thought during my long career in the early learning profession. For example, one child in India described preschool to the Human Rights Council as a place to make friends. “We learn to play together, and we learn that we are different. For example, I like cherries, but some people might not like them,” the child said. A preschooler in Brazil expressed the conviction that every child deserves to learn how to read, write and play with friends. “If they don’t go to preschool, they might feel like they don’t know anything, and they might be sad because they don’t have a place where they can feel happy, smart and strong,” that child said. Another child urged governments to visit and see that preschool was about more than play. “We learn about space, animals and how to be kind. Preschool is a place that makes you love learning and be happy every day you’re there.”
Many other children would also be happy to attend preschool, but only 34 percent of countries worldwide provide children with this chance at no cost. Fees, distance and parents’ lack of engagement prevent children from attending preschool, as a group of teen activists pointed out when the Human Rights Council invited them to a working group on the right to free early childhood education. “Preprimary education helps us get ready to learn, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. If we miss that early step, we may never catch up,” Roberto, a 17-year-old from Liberia pointed out. Sania, a 16-year-old from Indonesia, was convinced that every child deserves support to achieve their hopes and dreams. “But parents trapped in poverty do not think it is important for their children to get preprimary education, so children stay home until they enter elementary school,” she said. “Parents’ priorities are to get their children to learn reading and writing. They are not aware that children can learn important skills at preprimary school which can change their lives.”
Despite the value of early learning, “society and government do not see preschool education as being as important as school education,” Robert, a 17-year-old from Scotland, pointed out as he made his plea for early learning to be part of the right to education. He also joined the other members of the working group in offering several solutions to ensure education for every young child: guarantee free, inclusive education in policy and law; eliminate all direct and indirect costs; provide more funding for books and other school materials; improve accountability through monitoring systems and invest in teacher training.
These suggestions are timely in the U.S. where we have yet to make early childhood education a constitutional right and many children still don’t have access to the early learning they need. Granted, several cities and states, including Oklahoma, New York City Washington DC, and my home state, Alabama, have offered publicly funded pre-K for some years. More states are moving in that direction, and in 2022 New Mexico became the first state to provide child care for all, regardless of family income. Yet no state has taken the final step of passing a constitutional amendment guaranteeing a right to early learning and care. One reason has been political opposition to a large new taxpayer-financed government program. Another has been the belief of some that young children should be home with a parent and that it’s not government’s role to step in during the first years of life.
One exception to this general resistance has been Head Start, the federal government’s massive program for children from low-income families. Since 1965, the program has provided our most vulnerable children with opportunities to learn and empowered them to stand up for what’s right, like Malala did when she spoke out for education and peace. Her story proves that education equips people with the confidence to challenge injustice and it’s never too early for children to start learning about core values like equity and inclusion. Research has shown that children at all stages of growth can judge actions and social norms in moral terms, so there’s a good case for teaching children about human rights topics in life’s early years. Young children are often aware of humanitarian crises, like war and displacement, along with social problems, like homelessness and bullying, and it’s better for them not to grapple with these complex issues alone.
That’s where I believe early childhood classrooms and competent teachers, like those who earn a CDA®, play a key role. Skilled educators help each child acquire social skills, make friends and respect those who are different. Preschool is a place to learn how to be kind and get along with others—even those who don’t like cherries—as preschoolers told the Human Rights Council in Geneva. When children gain these lessons from their teachers, it gives them a head start in grasping the value of human rights and may inspire them to join the cause Malala has stood for since that dark day on a bus. “Education,” she’s continued to insist, “is the only solution” to the roadblocks we face in building a better future for all. “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”
Did you know the Council for Professional Recognition is a great source for exploring early childhood education trends and finding critical information to support your work? During times of challenge, a key strategy for increasing...
“We can’t just wait for the future we want. We must seize the opportunity to build it,” Susan Gale Perry, Child Care Aware of America CEO said last month on the opening day of “Igniting...
Why should you renew your CDA? Learn what some of our early childhood professionals had to say. For example, Isabel Blair, a family child care provider in New Mexico, has renewed her CDA for 20...
For years, the search for solutions to early childhood education’s workforce challenges has felt like a treasure hunt. Policymakers follow new clues. Advocates debate new frameworks. System leaders chart new routes forward. Each effort is...
Promoting family health and fitness goes far beyond encouraging children to run, play, and eat their vegetables. It is about creating lifelong habits that support physical, emotional, and social well-being, while honoring the diverse cultural...
Download Your New CDA® Sample Exam Questions Now! The Council for Professional Recognition, the organization that administers the CDA® credential, is excited to share the new CDA® sample exam questions. This free resource uses research,...
Ariana’s mother is the last to pick up two-year-old Ariana from the early care and education program late on Friday afternoon. She hugs Ariana and sighs, “I have reached my limits today with Henry still...
For decades, the early childhood education (ECE) field has faced a persistent challenge: the lack of consistent entry-level qualifications. Despite widespread recognition that high-quality early learning experiences are critical to children’s long-term success, the workforce...
At the Council for Professional Recognition, we are committed to ensuring the Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™ continues to reflect high‑quality preparation, meaningful learning, and strong alignment with career and education pathways. As part of...
Vice President of Product
Mackenzie Pelland serves as Vice President of Product at the Council. In this role, she oversees the Council’s product strategy and portfolio, including credentialing programs, educational publications, professional development resources, and branded merchandise, ensuring offerings are sustainable and responsive to the evolving needs of early childhood educators and the broader early care and education field. Her work focuses on building scalable, user-centered products that strengthen quality and integrity across the Council’s credentialing, educational, and professional learning offerings.
Prior to this role, Mackenzie served as Director of ECE Observation Systems at the Council, where she oversaw the observation portion of the CDA® credentialing assessment process and led the ECE Observation Team. She also worked to support, refine, and strengthen the Professional Development Specialist community to better meet the needs of a diverse CDA® candidate population.
Before joining the Council, Mackenzie was Senior Director of Monitoring and Compliance Systems at Acelero Learning, where she led the development and execution of monitoring systems related to federal grant compliance, child care licensing, health and safety, incident management, and facilities compliance across Head Start programs nationwide. She also previously served as Program Accountability and Policy Implementation Manager at New York City’s Department of Education within the Division of Early Childhood Education.
Mackenzie is recognized as a credentialing specialist by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. She holds a master’s degree in education policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, a Certificate in Education and Program Evaluation from Georgetown University, and a bachelor’s degree in politics and education from Occidental College.
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 Administrative Officer (CAO)
Janie Payne is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) 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.
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 Wilmington, NC with her husband and two dogs.
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.
