Published by CounciLINK on September 26, 2019
“When we hear the word ‘diversity,’ let’s begin to include gender as part of that definition.” — Bryan Nelson, founder and director, MenTeach.org
Visit any elementary school or early learning center in the U.S., and you are likely to find a common scenario: Women teaching the students or taking care of the children. Getting men in the classroom to instruct, inspire and care for young children is not a new challenge, but one that may have new solutions if our society can flip the script on long-held biases toward men in these roles.
From sideways glances from parents at school to incredulous reactions in social situations (“You work where?!”), some treat male early childhood educators with curiosity or suspicion.
This white paper maps the roadblocks men face in early childhood education and shows how we can surmount them. Bringing more men into the field will benefit our children, boost our industry’s reputation and bolster our entire social fabric.
We’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe
Today, there is wider acceptance of most jobs being done by both men and women. For more than a century in the U.S., physicians were men; women simply didn’t perform that role. Elizabeth Blackwell changed that in 1849 by being the first woman to graduate from medical school. By 2018, more women were applying to medical school than men.
Like medicine, education is a field where there is no such thing as “too many qualified people,” yet the doors are still ajar at best, and closed at worst, for men who want to educate and care for young children.
The Economics and Social Standing
It’s no secret that those in teaching generally, and in early childhood education specifically, experience low pay. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for preschool teachers in May 2018 was just under $30,000 per year. Depending on where a person lives and whether he or she lives in a household that has another income, that number can be a deal breaker.
By comparison, the median pay for middle school teachers was $58,600—nearly twice that of preschool teachers. This disparity can discourage many qualified people of both genders from entering or remaining in early childhood education.
“You shouldn’t have to take a vow of poverty to be a preschool teacher,” said Kitt Cox, the director of Birth to Three Family Center in Ipswich, Massachusetts. “But, as a group, we’re too nice to push back.”
At the same time, even though women have increased their presence in higher-paying jobs traditionally held by men, women as a whole continue to be overrepresented in lower-paying occupations. This reality can make it difficult for men to see those professions as viable options financially.
Similarly, the rate of pay reflects how teaching and childcare in general are low in the pecking order of respected professions. This presents its own challenge in terms of recruiting men who have career ambitions that may exceed what they believe a role in a school or an early learning environment can offer.
To read our latest white paper on how and why we should support men as early childhood educators, click here.
Additional Council White Papers
Have you read the Council’s previous white papers? These resources cover an array of subjects within the field of early childhood education to inform and engage our members. We’ve addressed topics such as supporting multilingual learners and how to bridge the digital divide for young children. Check out these white papers and others in English and Spanish in our white paper library. And keep an eye on that space for upcoming white papers on important issues in early childhood education and how the Council supports professionals in the field.
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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.
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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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