Dear Colleagues,
Every child needs a champion to succeed. As teachers, we often fill that role by helping young learners reach for the stars and fulfill their dreams. Still, we can’t stand up for children if we don’t stand up for ourselves. And that’s crucial for the many early childhood teachers who are struggling to survive. Their fierce commitment to the ECE profession is rarely reflected in their paychecks and about a third of our teachers rely partly on public assistance.
They’re mad and some of them won’t take it anymore. In Connecticut, child care providers across the state closed their doors for two hours on Tuesday, March 14, to rally for their profession. In a “Morning Without Childcare,” hundreds of teachers, advocates, parents and children showed up and urged lawmakers to provide more funding for a sector that’s severely short staffed. The point was to highlight what could happen if early childhood teachers keep fleeing the field for better-paying jobs.
And it’s a systemic problem that plagues states nationwide. “We’ve been fighting this battle since the 70s,” said Beatriz Leyva-Cutler, executive director of the Bay Area Hispano Institute for Advancement, which provides bilingual child care and education in Berkely, California. “We’ve marched and we’ve protested and fought. It feels like we’ve been fighting this battle forever.”
“The Council has long supported this crusade, but we’ve always relied on others to advocate for the Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™,” said Dr. Calvin Moore in a recent podcast. “Now we’ve decided to use our own voice to tell our story, and then ignite our network.” This month, the Council is holding a Virtual Capitol Hill Day, when we’ll urge states to give the CDA more funding and support.
Over 300 CDA holders will meet with members of Congress to explain why raising the number of teachers with CDAs will help more young children receive the care they need. The educators will make their case by presenting State Fact Sheets that include stories about some of our wonderful CDAs. Read the fact sheets to learn about Sheronda, a North Carolina teacher who tells us how “the CDA enhanced my skills, increased my confidence in the classroom and allowed me to exceed the requirements of my job.” Hear from Cedric, who says “the CDA has made me a better teacher” for children in Nevada, and from Paige, who guides Tennessee high school students in earning their CDA. Paige likes the credential because “it’s very hands on so you know what you’re getting into when you pursue a career in ECE.”
That includes a lot of hard work and low pay, so you must love what you do. And this month, we profile two CDA holders who have the commitment it takes. Read about Tyneesha Parker, who gave up a well-paying retail career to pursue her lifelong dream of teaching children. Learn about Rochelle Mullins, a teacher with 38 years in the field and a gift for bringing children to new heights. Yet she needs to work part-time in a grocery store so she can make ends meet. “Early childhood teachers are sometimes looked down on,” Rochelle says. “But when you look up to all the doctors, lawyers and firefighters out there, you should acknowledge that we’re the ones who lay the foundation for their success.”
So, the Council is speaking out for our CDA holders by raising a Collective Voice on Capitol Hill. Now more than ever, as Dr. Moore tells, we need to get the point across that we can’t help children reach their dreams unless we can achieve our own dreams for reasonable wages and respect. And training more CDAs can help because teachers who are qualified and credentialed have more clout to get what they deserve. As we keep waging this long fight for what’s fair, we can draw strength from the words of the great political activist Harriet Tubman. “Every dream begins with a dreamer,” she said. “Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars.”
Keep rallying for what’s right,
The Council for Professional Recognition
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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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