The Time to Apply for the CDA is Now
The Maryland State Department of Education has partnered with the Council for Professional Recognition to encourage the state’s early childhood educators to earn or renew a Child Development Associate®, the premier credential in ECE. The Council is excited to leverage the CDA® and expand ECE career development with funding that’s available now!
Why Should Maryland Early Childhood Teachers Earn a CDA?
Listen to Dr. Sonia Pruneda-Hernandez, who started her ECE career by earning a CDA and is now Senior Director/Chair for Early Childhood Education Programs at Montgomery College. She encourages Maryland educators to earn the CDA as a stepping stone to their next career goal in ECE. “The CDA means something,” she passionately believes, so she encourages students to apply while the funding is still available to them. She also urges directors to make their staff aware of the grant. Having CDA-credentialed educators working at their centers is good for both the children and the program.
Earning a CDA Can Be Career Changing
Nicole Bastfield, a Baltimore, MD, provider, had thought about getting a CDA for some time. “But I had pushed it aside,” she recalls, “until I received word of the state’s new CDA program.” Now that she’s earned her CDA, she tells other providers to earn the credential, too. “The CDA is an industry standard,” Nicole says. “I wanted to have it for myself because it’s a way to show parents that I’m a quality provider who can offer the best care for their youngsters.”
An added plus of earning a CDA is “the chance to build a peer network,” says Crystal Barksdale, a Randallstown, MD, provider who renewed her credential through the grant. Crystal has been a fan of the CDA since earning it in 2012 and serves on an advisory group that urged the state to help people earn their CDA. Still, she was so busy with her business that she put off renewing it until hearing about the grant. “I put a lot of work into my CDA training,” she says, “so I wanted to keep the credential. The grant gave me a chance to do so without spending a lot of money.”
The application deadline for funding has been extended but is still only available for a limited time. Take the next step in your ECE career with help from the Maryland grant.
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Chief Operations Officer
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
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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