Dear Colleagues,
Everyone can make New Year’s resolutions, no matter their age. And that includes our youngest children. Some good resolutions for preschoolers include: I will clean up my toys by putting them where they belong. I will wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating. I will try new foods, especially different veggies. I will learn how to help clear the table after meals. I will do my best to be nice to kids who look lonely or need a friend. And I will talk with my parents or another adult I trust when I need help or I’m feeling scared.
The grownups who children often turn to include their teachers. So, our educators should make resolutions that will help them be at their best for the young learners they serve. Teachers should learn new strategies that will allow them to meet the diverse needs of our nation’s children. They should think of new ways to make lessons more engaging. Teachers should set realistic goals for themselves and the children. They should practice self-care and focus on their achievements, instead of their failures, with young learners. And they should connect more with colleagues or groups that can give them support.
Teachers can count on us here at the Council, and our New Year’s resolutions include finding ways to advance the early learning field and find solutions to the staffing shortfalls it faces. We’re reimagining the CDA® process to make it more streamlined and user friendly. We’re partnering with the Maryland State Department of Education to help Maryland educators earn their CDA and alerting other educators to scholarship opportunities nationwide. We’re encouraging them to join the Council Alumni Network, an online forum where educators can share ways to reach professional goals. We’re urging them to make their voices heard by participating in the 2022 Economic Census. And we’re also urging high school students to enter the ECE profession, as we’ll discuss at a special webinar next month. In the meantime, you can read about two folks who already help high schoolers build careers by earning a CDA.
At Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia, OH, Bobi Thompson is looking for a special spark in students that shows they’re invested in working with young children. And some of her students recently showed their commitment to the early learning field at a statewide signing ceremony where they pledged to earn their CDA by graduation. “I was excited to be there,” Bobi says, “as I watched the students take a great first step toward a career in early childhood education.”
And “there is great value in earning a CDA,” as Monquelle Shamburger tells her students at A.H. Parker High School in Birmingham, AL. Still, once you’re in the field, “you need the passion to persevere” she says, “because teaching young children isn’t easy.” So, it helps if you can act on the guiding rule of Monquelle’s career: “whatever you expect or whatever you want for your own kids, you’ve got to want the same for everybody else’s kid.”
Many lawmakers are starting to feel this way, as Dr. Calvin Moore says this month in his blog. “All politics is personal,” he points out, “and many of our leaders are parents who are dealing with the daily roadblocks of raising young children.” They include two new moms in the Vermont State House who are struggling to find the child care they need to perform their official duties. And dads are also concerned about the child care shortage. Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II recently said, “As a father, I know the importance of having skilled child care professionals to care for our kids.” And this month, several members of Congress brought home the message by doing daddy duty in the U.S. House. As they changed diapers and fed their children, they put a spotlight on a problem that plagues many of our country’s parents. These lawmakers and others like them have resolved to find solutions to the child care shortage in 2023. And Americans of every age should be looking forward to what’s ahead.
Happy New Year,
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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