DelawareWILMINGTON, Del. – Delaware Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long held a press conference Monday to release the final report from the Office of Early Learning Advisory Committee. In the report, several recommendations were made to invest in early childhood education which the Lt. Governor says is critical to ensure the state’s youngest get the best start possible for a bright future.
Recently, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley stood before lawmakers in Baton Rouge and delivered some modest good news in hopes that the Legislature would continue to fund efforts to prime the educator supply pipeline. Though it had not caught up with pre-pandemic levels, the state’s teacher retention rate for the 2021-22 school year ticked up 2 percentage points over the year before, to 86%.
MarylandThe Baltimore County Public Schools system is proposing to cut over 160 vacant teaching positions to save millions. Staff from the budget office say it’s to match declining enrollment numbers, but union leaders and the school board chair still find it concerning.
MichiganFLINT, Mich. (WJRT) – One month after announcing she wants to make preschool free for all 4-year-olds in Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer visited Flint’s state-of-the-art Educare preschool facility on Monday.
Each year I update my professional bio and pause at the part where it says, “Rachel Robertson has worked in the field for over X years”. Not because I can’t believe it or can’t remember,...
Teachers aren’t keen to bring up the topic of COVID, according to their Facebook posts. “I don’t think we are allowed to,” one teacher wrote. “There’s no way I’m going near that subject since it’s...
CDA®. These three little letters can change the entire trajectory of your career. The Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential is the most widely known and valued credential in early childhood education. By earning your CDA,...
Each December, people take stock of the year and think of what is to come in the new year. I am no exception. Working for an organization like the Council for Professional Recognition has been...
The Council for Professional Recognition applauds the House of Representatives on passage of the Build Back Better Act. This historic investment in early care and education will provide critically needed resources by supporting increased access to...
“If you have support and people believing in you, you can do anything,” says Rory Sipp, Senior Vice President of Acelero Learning, the largest provider of Head Start services in Nevada. He saw how true...
The Council for Professional Recognition applauds the critical investments in early care and education included in the Build Back Better Act. This historic move will help children return to stable, developmentally appropriate, high-quality care, and help parents,...
It’s the start of a new school year which means it’s a wonderful time to think about how you engage with your students’ parents. Below are five tips to think about when planning how to...
The morning sun lit a clear, blue sky as America started its day. Highways filled with traffic and railroads rumbled with trains. Planes soared into that cloudless sky, two from Boston, one from Newark and...
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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