Carmen Davis| Planting the Precious Seeds of Kindness
February 21, 2024
Home > Newsletters > Carmen Davis| Planting the Precious Seeds of Kindness
Carmen found her sense of purpose when her son began having problems at school. “In kindergarten,” she says, “He was a thriving little boy. But when he went to a new school for first grade, he changed. He would come home from school with his head down, all discouraged. So, I went to the school with a family liaison officer to find out what was troubling my son. Together, we talked with the principal and two teachers, who said he was acting out and would not do as they asked. After listening to them, the liaison officer told me my son wasn’t the problem. The teachers were the problem because they were making my child feel diminished. She was right and once I switched him to a new school, he began earning straight As. What happened to him has been a driving force for me, and I want to plant the seeds for every child to flourish.”
She has been doing that since 2008 at Carmen’s Precious Moments, her family child care home in Nashville Tennessee. “My mother and older sister had encouraged me to open a family child care home for some time,” Carmen recalls, “but I didn’t find the courage to do so until one Sunday while attending church. I go to a big church, where the pastor doesn’t know me. But I felt like he was speaking directly to me as he preached about walking into your purpose. I felt like God was telling me to begin sowing my seeds and I started the process of opening my home child care. I did the orientation, obtained a license and walked through every step of the process without facing any roadblocks or delays.”
It helped that she had seven years of experience working at Small Wonders Child Care, a Michigan early learning center, where she earned her Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™. “One day the director of my center told me that all the teachers were getting their CDA®. The director was also going to earn her CDA though she already had a master’s degree because the CDA provides knowledge that sharpens your professional skills. So, I agreed to earn my credential, though I was hesitant at first. I’m glad I overcame my fears because I found that the CDA opened my eyes to many aspects of classroom practice. Learning about child development, age-appropriate materials and parent engagement made me feel I could give my best to the all the children and families I served. Earning a CDA prepared me to open Carmen’s Precious Moments.”
Carmen’s professional life has gone smoothly since then, though she has faced some personal trials along the way. For two years, Carmen took care of her older sister after she developed dementia and her mom died from cancer a few years back, but Carmen didn’t have to face these tragedies alone. She shared them with the members of the Nashville Area Family Childcare Network, where she serves as VP. “We come together each quarter,” she says, “to trade information on developments in our profession and discuss challenges in our personal lives. When there’s a death in the family, we also come together to see what we can do to help.” And so do the members of Carmen’s Parent Advisory Board, who help her to make decisions about her prices and what she teaches in her program.
Carmen didn’t want to let these parents down after her mom died in hospice last July. “The hospice called me at 1:30 in the afternoon and said I needed to come there soon,” she recalls. “Yet I didn’t leave until hours later when my last child went home. And the next morning I was hurting, but I knew my parents depended on me, so I still opened my program. When no one else showed up, I wondered why until I called my parent president. He told me that the board decided to close for the next couple of days and I shouldn’t worry about it,” Carmen recalls. The parents are concerned about her because she’s so concerned about their kids.
Take a mom named Shirley who came to Carmen in tears because she was so worried about the care her young daughter was receiving at another day care. “Shirley was distraught,” Carmen recalls, “because every time she went to pick her daughter up the child was either in a high chair or a baby bed.” The little girl was so inactive that Shirley thought there was a developmental delay. But that wasn’t the case as Shirley saw after enrolling her child in Carmen’s program. “The child turned two last September,” Carmen says, “and she’s thriving. She’s walking, talking, and doing music and movement, as Shirley sees every time she pops in for a visit. There was nothing wrong with the child. She just didn’t get the appropriate materials and stimulation she needed to start moving around.”
Helping children to make breakthroughs like this is demanding, as Carmen admits. “If you’re caring for a six-week-old, for example, you spend a lot of time sitting on the floor with the child, feeding them, talking to them and reading to them. Then you close your eyes for a moment. And before you know it, that child is sitting up, walking around the room and grabbing a toy to tell you what it is. When you watch a child flourish, it’s so rewarding.”
What you get back is more precious than the pay you earn, Carmen knows. And she showed her commitment to her work while caring for two homeless children after their parents fell upon hard times. She realized the family had become homeless because the children would come to her program wearing the same clothes as the day before and would keep asking for more food. So, Carmen told the parents, “I don’t want you to choose whether you’re going to pay me or feed your kids, put gas in your car and go to work,” as she recalls. “And I cared for those children for almost no pay until the family got back on its feet two years later,” Carmen says. “I did it because I’m a true believer in my faith and if someone’s in need, I have to help them.”
Her sense of commitment led the Tennessee Department of Health and Human Services to use her child care as a demonstration site for how to run a program. She has also guided other providers through her work in the TOPSTAR program held by the Tennessee Family Child Care. Alliance. “I mentor new child care providers and work with existing providers who want to improve certain parts of their programs,” she explains.
But the lesson that Carmen wants most to pass on is how to be kind and treat other people. “So, when my kids come in and show me that they have a new hair style or new shoes, I try to redirect the discussion,” she explains. “I don’t want the children to focus on what money can buy. I tell them I like your smile better. I like that you put your toys away and helped your classmate yesterday. I want every child to feel good about themselves because of what’s inside them,” she explains. And her commitment to help all children have a good self-image comes from her memories of her son. “I don’t want any child to feel discouraged and diminished,” she says. “So, I work each day to plant the precious seeds of kindness in young children.”
SPONSORED BLOG If you’re looking to boost your career and make a bigger impact in the lives of the little ones you teach, earning your Child Development Associate®(CDA) credential is a fantastic step forward. And...
As professionals dedicated to the advancement of early childhood education, we understand the critical role that a highly skilled and well-trained workforce plays in the development and success of young children. At the Council for...
The Council for Professional Recognition has long been a leader in quality in early childhood education, ensuring that educators meet the highest standards of competence and professionalism through the Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential. As...
The Council wants to give our early childhood teachers a chance to tell their stories. So does Usma Mohamed, the Council’s VP of Brand Experience and Marketing, and she conveys what they have to say...
SPONSORED BLOG As summer winds down and back-to-school season approaches, preschool teachers everywhere are gearing up for another exciting year of guiding littler learners! Amid the hustle and bustle of adorning bulletin boards with colorful...
What inspired you to launch the Reimagine project? Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr. (CM), Chief Executive Officer: I joined the Council when we were in the middle of the pandemic and needed to rebuild the...
Experts Speak Autism and Apraxia with Elizabeth Vosseller Early childhood educators play a critical role in the lives of young children and their families around the world. As the administrator of the Child Development Associate®...
National Children’s Day is a special occasion dedicated to celebrating the joys and innocence of childhood. For parents with young children under the age of 5, it’s an opportunity to spend quality time together, creating...
Before a child even steps into a classroom or child care center, their first lessons in life occur within the walls of their home. During their formative years, from birth to age five, children undergo...
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.
Andrew Davis
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.
Janice Bigelow
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.
Janie Payne
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.
CounciLINK is Your Connection
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.