“I found myself during circle time in an early childhood classroom,” Melody says. That was 20 years ago, and she’d just spent a year volunteering with Hands On Atlanta, a nonprofit group that addresses pressing community problems. Melody was going into her second year in college and wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. Then a workforce development counselor suggested she substitute in an early childhood setting. On her first day at work, she had a thrilling surprise as she joined the children sitting in their morning circle. “The teacher encouraged the children to get up and dance, and I was hooked. I thought I could play while I was getting paid,” Melody recalls.
And the prospect led her to start studying ECE in college and devote herself to the field. Since then, Melody has filled a wide range of roles in her profession. She’s been a quality advisor for child care programs in Indiana. She’s worked as an independent consultant who helped centers throughout Indiana with program development and accreditation. One of her clients was Auntie Mame’s, an Indianapolis center that valued her services so much that they asked her to stay on as their executive director. At the time, Melody wanted to cut down on travel because her mom wasn’t well, so she took Auntie Mame’s up on their offer and enrolled her two young children in the program. Melody remained there for over two years before COVID struck and she needed to switch gears like many people in her profession.
“Auntie Mame’s was in a hot spot during the pandemic and had to shut its doors,” Melody recalls. That was a downer, but Melody kept her upbeat outlook on life and found a way to keep contributing to her field. “At the time, I was writing stories for children, and I met a woman who was hosting a professional development group on the Clubhouse social app. I joined the group to meet other children’s authors and wound up hosting a room on ECE. This first discussion took place on New Year’s Day 2021. And two weeks later, I started my own group, Early Childhood Educators Circle Time, on the Clubhouse app.”
It’s open to all members of the early childhood community, and is the largest ECE group on the Clubhouse app. The 6,400 people who tune in each month include center directors, family child care home providers, program administrators, authors, child and family specialists, classroom teachers, social workers, community activists and parents. “The conversations attract everyone from folks with PhDs to rising teachers who’ve just earned their Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™,” Melody explains.
And they love having a space to network, share concerns, trade experiences in ECE and discuss trends in the field. “We chat about everything from problems talking to parents to marketing programs, from behavioral issues to the value of earning a CDA,” Melody explains. “I’ve encouraged people to get their CDA because it’s the basis of a career in ECE, and I’ve inspired a lot of interest in the credential. One person in the group had run a family child care home for eight years and had confidence in her skills but was afraid of taking classes. Now she’s going for her CDA. There’s also a PD Specialist who’s now thinking about becoming a CDA instructor,” Melody says.
These folks and many others have shared their hopes and dreams, tragedies and triumphs, Melody says. “There was a woman in California who opened a family child care home so she could stay home and care for the child she was expecting. Sadly, her daughter was stillborn, but she kept her facility going. Another mom’s son was murdered, and she opened a child care center in his honor,” Melody says. “There are so many inspiring stories that come up.”
And they come from people who hail from all backgrounds and countries worldwide. “We recently had a listener from Pakistan,” Melody says. “We’ve had dignitaries and celebrities. We had a preschool teacher who is also musician. He has written a book of songs for young children. And recently, he played the ukulele on our Circle Time platform and shared one of his songs.”
Like him, Melody is also an entertainer, and she shows her talents in a podcast she calls Bedtime Soul Stories for kids. During the podcasts, she reads books aloud to help children gain character skills and learn new words, besides having fun. And she’s connected with both parents and their kids. She’s such a beguiling reader, they call her the “baby whisperer” and even compare her to Mr. Rodgers, as Melody explains. And like Mr. Rodgers, Melody has important life lessons to share.
She passes them on to the thousands she reaches through Circle Time. And one of the subjects Melody stresses is the importance of having a sense of purpose, she explains. She’s even put together a book called The Purpose Driven Provider. “It’s an anthology that includes my story and that of six innovative women in the ECE field. We talk about how the commitment to our calling has helped us cultivate the potential of the children and families in our care.”
That’s what it takes to stay in ECE, as Melody points out. “Many people come into the early childhood profession for the wrong reasons. And I was one of them at the start. I thought it would be an easy job with weekends and summers off. But these pluses weren’t the reason I stayed. The reason was because I found meaning in my work despite some of the roadblocks I’ve encountered.”
They include the challenges she’s faced in completing her education, a topic she often brings up in Circle Time. “It took me 12 years to complete a four-year degree in ECE, what with working, getting promotions and having two kids. When I finally did it, it taught me to never give up on your dreams. Just keep going when you find something you love,” Melody says. So, she recently resumed her consulting work as centers open up again. She’s still committed to helping teachers develop, get accredited and provide the quality services children deserve.
But her current focus is Circle Time, as she explains. “It allows me to build a sense of community that serves the common good. So, my plan is to keep it going and expand. I recently did an international symposium on how to meet children’s needs during the current pandemic and beyond,” she says. And she wants to play a role in helping her community move ahead with purpose and passion. “My plan is to have Circle Time become an association where educators can talk about their challenges, concerns and hopes. I want it to be a space where we all come together to honor the values of equity and diversity in the ECE field.”
And whether she’s talking about teachers or young learners, Melody circles back to an important life lesson she’s picked up during her wide-ranging career. No matter what our age, education or background, “we all want to be heard,” Melody says. “And the time I spent working with children has helped me better understand the adults I now reach online. We’re just like children. We just have a little more experience of the world.” And the experiences she’s had have left her with an enduring goal. “If I can help one teacher, one parent or one child, my life is worthwhile,” she says. And this keen sense of commitment, as she points out, is what it takes to be a purpose-driven provider.
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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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