Time is running out and space is extremely limited for the 10th annual Early Educators Leadership Conference (EELC) on October 8-11, 2025, in sunny Orlando. The EELC provides you with a chance to connect with colleagues and learn from leaders, as you join changemakers from across the early childhood education field.
You can also look forward to your stay at the beautiful Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld, conveniently sited near all the landmark attractions that make Orlando “the happiest place on earth.”
We encourage you to register soon to secure your place at the EELC today.
Plan your EELC journey by charting your pathway to networking and learning. Here are just a few of the highlights we have in store to help direct your choice. We believe they will inspire you as you interact with early learning experts and explore new ways to think about your work.
October 10 | 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM
As technology continues to evolve, early childhood educators face a growing challenge—and opportunity—to integrate innovation in ways that preserve the human heart of our work. This session explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), video coaching, and the CDA framework to elevate professional development while staying true to the core values of reflection, responsiveness, and respect.
(Left to Right) Parissa Snider, CMO, Watch Me Grow; Stephanie Deputy, Senior Director of Sales, Watch Me Grow; Jaimie Rechkemmer, Founder | Director of Strategic Partnerships and Product Strategy Aim4 Impact Consulting, Watch Me Grow
October 9 | 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Powered by the Council Alumni Network (CAN)—Where Connectivity Happens
Looking for a space to spark conversation, reconnect with colleagues, or build new partnerships? The Networking Lounge is where connectivity happens. Hosted by CAN, this flexible, come-and-go space is designed for informal meetups, one-on-one chats, and collaborative moments. The Networking Lounge is your invitation to engage in the power of connection on your own terms.
October 9 | 10:45 – 11:30 AM & 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
October 10 | 10:45 AM – 11:30 AM
Explore core values, lived experiences, and personal growth that ground leadership in early childhood education. These 30-45-minute talks are where stories of challenge, transformation, and impact take root, offering wisdom and inspiration to help others grow in their own practice. Rooted Talks remind us that leadership doesn’t start at the surface—it begins with what’s planted deep within.
Meet one of the presenters of Rooted Talks | Extended Micro-Sessions
“I’m very serious about play,” says Ant Toombs, growth and expansion strategist at the Life is Good Playmaker Project. “We help children heal from trauma by working with early childhood teachers to harness the power of play,” as Ant explains. The Playmaker Project provides trauma-informed, optimism-infused training, resources and support to a growing community of 25,000 early learning professionals who reach over one million children each year. “We show educators how to help children engage, explore and connect with the world,” Ant says, and that begins by showing educators how to practice self-care so they can avoid burnout and deal with the sense of trauma they often feel.
Some educators come from the same communities as the young learners they serve in neighborhoods where poverty may often lead to violence and toxic stress, as Ant points out. “Some educators have experienced trauma when young, and even if they haven’t, they’re vicariously affected by the children and families they spend hours serving every day.” If they’re going to help the children, educators also need joyful experiences like the ones that Ant provides in his workshops and talks. “You can’t spread optimism if you don’t feel it,” he explains, “so educators also need to learn how to engage, explore and connect with the world.”
That’s the mission of the Playmaker Project, based in Roxbury, Massachusetts, just a few miles from the housing project where Ant grew up. His neighborhood was rife with gang violence that had a grim impact on many of the young people with whom he grew up. Yet Ant overcame the toxic stress that often afflicted his peers. And he attributes it to support from Sandra Long, a wonderful ninth-grade teacher who gave all her students unconditional love. She inspired him to love learning and pursue a degree in psychology at Cambridge College, where he met many experts in the field of trauma. While pursuing graduate work he also went to work at the Children’s Trauma Recovery Foundation, where he was part of a 24-hour trauma response unit.
“We went to houses, funerals, community centers, football fields and anywhere else there was a traumatic event,” as Ant recalls. “We also offered post-traumatic stress management training for first responders, like firefighters, police and clergy, and I gained a reputation because I always showed up to help. I was on call for my community, and while running around doing all this crisis work, I met Steve Gross, founder of the Life is Good nonprofit, who encouraged me to focus on prevention rather than intervention in my work.”
Gross was sponsoring playgroups for children, and Ant’s team decided to join him in offering the playgroups to give teachers a break. “While we were doing that,” Ant recalls, “we came up with the idea of supporting teachers with resources and training to help them understand the power of play. That led us to join forces with Life is Good, and together we hold fundraising events to support what is now known as the Playmaker Project where we help early childhood teachers understand how to use play to help children feel that life is good.” And that requires educators to rethink the way they approach some traditional classroom activities and games.
Take musical chairs for example, as Ant explains. “It’s basically about survival, like the tough neighborhood where I grew up.” In musical chairs, as you might recall, a set of chairs is arranged in a circle with one fewer chair than the number of players. While music plays, the contestants walk around the set of chairs. When the music stops abruptly, all players must dash around and find their own individual chair to sit on. The player who fails to sit on a chair is eliminated. One chair is then removed for the next round, and the process repeats until only one player remains and is declared the winner.
“The message in musical chairs is that someone is going to win and everyone else is going to lose, and that is not about connecting,” Ant says. “So, I show educators how to play a new game called musical shares in which you eliminate chairs instead of people and all the children have to sit together on the fewest number of chairs. It’s a way for everyone to win and feel connected. Musical shares is playful, joyful and funny,” as Ant points out. “Yet it serves a serious goal.”
And engaging children in games like this requires us to “think beyond the silliness and laughter that many people associate with play,” as Ant explains. Instead, there are several key ingredients that define what he describes as play, based on his experience and education. “Children have to feel strong and empowered,” he says. “They have to feel safe, and they have to feel actively engaged. With all these ingredients, learning can also be part of play, as Ant points out to the many educators with whom he speaks across the country and the world.
Ant knows how to get his message across because he spent seven years after high school working at the Strand Theater in Boston. “It’s a community institution,” he says, “that holds concerts and events. I began there as an intern after high school and left as technical director, a role in which I gained the skills to serve as a helper and doer who always made sure that the show would go on. Working at the Strand was also a great outlet for me because I met amazing people in the arts and entertainment. I helped produce some of the shows and even performed myself on stage as a rapper.”
Now Ant performs on a different stage as he gives teachers the confidence to work more effectively with young children and become experts at play. “Somewhere along the line, we lose that ability as adults and forget how to play,” he says. “We don’t remember how to explore, engage and connect, but as educators, we need those abilities more than ever.” So, Ant will be sharing his knowledge this fall when he comes to the Council’s Early Educators Leadership Conference in Orlando.
“We’ll have a poster presentation,” Ant says. “We’ll also be offering three different innovations labs, where attendees will have active ways to engage and learn a lot about play. I’ll also take part in some talks so I can connect with early childhood teachers. And I’ll show them ways to excel in their practice, a goal that the Council and I both embrace.”
Ant also helps educators to improve their skills at the Playmaker University, an online platform where educators can take courses in social and emotional learning that count toward their Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™. The goal of Playmaker University, as Ant explains, is to spark joy in early childhood teachers and reignite the passion they feel for their work. They gain more evidence-based tools and trauma-informed, play-based activities to build positive relationships and help children heal. In addition, they have a venue to learn from an inspiring community of early childhood professionals from across the country who are working to ensure that life is good for all young children.
And testimonials from early learning professionals have shown the impact that Playmaker University has made on their classroom practices and lives. “Playmaker University has strengthened my compassion, empathy and understanding of how I will bring my gifts to the community,” said a Head Start educator from Vermont. “The playmaker program is so well put together and intuitive that I’m now convinced that optimism has the power to change the lives of kiddos and those who care for them,” said an Idaho early childhood teacher. And an instructional coach from Boston Public Schools summed up the convictions that have guided Ant’s work.
“The most important takeaways I got from the Playmaker program,” she recalled, “are that optimism is good, and play is the fertile ground that brings healing. So, we must create classrooms rich in social connection, internal regulation and active engagement not only for our students but for ourselves as well. We must remember that you can’t spread to others what you don’t have yourself.”
Ant is committed to helping all educators feel good because he knows they’re the ones on the front lines in the early childhood field. “They are the most vulnerable professionals, and they often serve the most vulnerable children,” as Ant points out. And he respects educators for what they do. “They are the true playmakers, not me, and I’m committed to giving them all the resources, support and inspiration they need to fill this role. It takes a loving, joyful and engaged human being to help children reach their potential,” Ant says. So, the feel-good sessions and workshops he holds aren’t just about fun and games. Ant is not playing around when he urges all early childhood teachers to get more serious about play.
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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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