This has been a year of hope and heartache. As we say goodbye to 2020, we should remember the challenges we’ve faced and lessons we’ve learned. We’ve watched as COVID-19 went from something that affected others to seeing it change nearly every aspect of our own lives. The virus had just begun to hit our own industry hard when I came onboard the Council as CEO. I took this role on because I’m a CDA holder who believes in the value of the credential. I’m also dedicated to you, the early childhood educators we serve. So, I share your pain at the hard truths that the deadly virus has delivered.
COVID-19 has worsened the financial woes of a field that was already underfunded. Average enrollment rates have dropped from 88 percent to 59 percent in just one year. New safety regulations have made it more costly to run our child care settings, and 64 percent of providers don’t have enough staff. Teachers are quitting the classroom out of health concerns or the need to take care of children of their own.
Many young learners—especially children of color—are going without the early care and education they need. And their plight is especially poignant in a year that witnessed the killing of George Floyd. The eruption of protests across the country put the spotlight on the need for a higher standard of justice and inclusion for all.
Floyd’s demise was a dramatic low point in a dark time where we’ve seen the virus take many thousands of lives. We also mourned the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Congressman John Lewis, an eloquent crusader for civil rights. Lewis knew that “darkness cannot overcome darkness, only light can do that.” So, it’s good to see that there have been some bright spots in this gloomy year. The pandemic has made the public pay attention to our heroes of the early childhood classroom. There’s more recognition of the key role they play in our country’s economy by allowing families to work. And special kudos have gone out to those who carried on with their jobs despite the risks involved.
We should also extend congratulations for the way they’ve adapted to fill the needs of the families they serve. As our child care providers forge on, they’ve found new ways to connect with parents and continue to help young children learn. For example, 39 percent of providers have started offering remote programming, and 38 percent plan to keep on doing so even after things return to normal.
Life probably won’t go back to the way it was until well into 2021, when the vaccine has successfully rolled out. By then, we’ll have new national leadership that holds potential for the future of our field. President-Elect Joe Biden is the first candidate to win the presidency with the stated goal of universal pre-K for all three- and four-year-old children. Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris shares his commitment to child care for all and has called education “a fundamental right.” In addition, future First Lady Dr. Jill Biden has been an educator for more than three decades and has advocated for those who work in the field.
Dr. Biden has said, “Teaching is not what I do. It is who I am.” And I can identify closely with her words because I feel that I’m a teacher at my core. I also have the core conviction that the future holds much promise for you all: our country’s committed early childhood teachers. “You are the light,” as Rep. Lewis once said. And I urge you to follow his advice: “Never let anyone—any person or any force—dampen, dim or diminish your light.” We must persevere despite the tremendous toll the pandemic has taken on our profession. We must be guided by our hopes—not our heartache and our hurts—as we go into the coming year.
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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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