Dear Colleagues,
We’re all still fighting COVID-19, and many immigrant professionals serve with us on the front lines. They make up about 17 percent of the U.S. workforce and play an outsized role in keeping us alive and fed. Immigrants make up more than one in four doctors, nearly half of the nation’s taxi drivers, a quarter of food service workers and most farmworkers—all jobs the government calls “essential.” As immigrant professionals report to work in hospitals, cabs, restaurant kitchens and the fields, they put themselves at a higher risk of infection. And we should be thankful for the sacrifices they make as we celebrate Thanksgiving this month.
We should also be grateful for some unsung heroes of the pandemic—the immigrant teachers who work in the early childhood sector. Nationwide, more than 278,000 immigrant educators make up 17.7 percent of all workers at child care centers. These educators help care for children of essential workers and many also guide parents on how to keep teaching young children at home. From socially distant play to virtual story time, these committed educators have adapted their programs to ensure children stay safe and adjust to the learning climate.
Many of our immigrant teachers are Hispanic, and we continue to honor their achievements this month by putting a spotlight on Larissa Sales-Sanchez, founder of USTRIVE. A former child care provider, she now assists teachers and parents in working with young bilingual learners and breaking the barriers that often hold them back. She identifies with the kids because she remembers her own struggles speaking English when she first came to the U.S. from Brazil.
So does Najwa Dahdah, a native of Jordan and CEO of Empowered Child Care Consulting. Her company has trained over 300 students for the Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential and equipped them to build careers as culturally responsive teachers. Many of her students come from the communities they serve, so they understand the language and know the hardships the children and families face as they carve out a new life in this country.
Competent, qualified teachers like this fill a vital role as we face an ongoing shortage of child care workers, now aggravated by the pandemic. Immigrants are in especially high demand to work in ECE because children five and under are the most racially and ethnically diverse age group in the country, said Maki Park, a senior policy analyst for Early Education and Care with the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, DC. “Not only is there a shortage and a need for early childhood workers across the board, but in particular there’s a need for workers who have the cultural and language skills to serve the population of children that we have.”
Immigrant teachers could be the solution. And newcomers to our country are thankful for the chance to enter the ECE field, judging from comments made by CDA students at Mt. Hood Community College in Portland, OR. “I love children, and it’s so close to social work. It’s not like teaching children how to write and read. No, it’s to teach them how to be ready for life, for school, for the future,” said Lulose Claude, an educator from Haiti. “This is a very important job. And this is very serious,” said Mexican educator Carmina Abrego. So “it’s too bad that people don’t value it and don’t appreciate how serious it is.”
As a result, ECE teachers have been underpaid for too long. But more investment in the field might be forthcoming, the Council’s CEO Dr. Calvin Moore recently told HiMama in its 2020 Child Care Benchmark Report. The COVID-19 crisis has increased recognition that child care workers really are essential workers who deserve a fair wage. That could be the silver lining in these somber times—and another good reason for us to give thanks.
With gratitude for giving young children your all,
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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