Published by CounciLINK on March 26, 2020
Home visiting has grown in recent decades, and Vilma M. Williams has been there to support it. As Senior Manager of Multilingual and Special Programs at the Council for Professional Recognition, she’s worked with home visiting programs since 1986, and she’s committed to serving educators who are earning their Home Visitor Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential.
These early childhood professionals show parents how to help their children develop, as well as connect them to community resources that meet children’s health and learning needs. And they make an impact, as many research studies show. “Well-executed, evidence-based home visiting programs strengthen the bonds between parents and their young children,” Williams says, “enhance parenting skills, reduce abuse and neglect, prepare children for school and improve the health of both parents and children.”
These benefits matter to families, and they matter to Williams, too. “Home visiting is a field that is dear to my heart,” she says, “because it gives more children the chance to develop and succeed.”
Many children across the country aren’t getting the early care and education they need to reach their potential, she explains. Some of them live in remote places where there are no center-based programs or family child care homes. Others face a program’s long waiting list, and often parents can’t afford to pay for the services that their children need.
Home visiting programs make a difference for children like this, as Williams points out. They are available and offer a unique way to put young children on the path of success by educating their parents or other adults who play an important role in their lives. “So, the Council fully supports the field of home visiting and its programs by defining, evaluating and recognizing the competence of home visitors to help children and families reach their potential.”
Home visiting programs also assist parents at a vulnerable time in their lives, while still showing the parents respect as the ones who know their children best. “We know that parents are their child’s first teacher,” Williams says, “and home visiting empowers parents to be the best they can be. Many times, home visitors act as a last safety net for families who may not have anyone else to turn to.”
Home visitors, like all early childhood educators, benefit from earning a CDA, but the focus of the Home Visitor CDA is different. “Unlike other educators, home visitors are assessed for the competence they demonstrate in educating adults,” Williams explains. “To get a Home Visitor CDA, the teacher must show they can provide education and guidance to help adults prepare to work with their children, set their own goals, then reach them. And those who earn the credential carry out several key objectives:
As they fulfill these wide-ranging goals, home visitors wear many hats, Williams says. “They don’t just teach the parents skills to work with their children. They also teach them skills for the whole family to develop and grow: from how to get a library card to promote their children’s reading skills to how to get health care for their children and how to navigate the welfare system so they can get the basic resources they require.”
Home visitors also provide guidance that puts parents’ minds at ease, Williams explains. “For example, bringing a baby home — any home — can be daunting, and the stress of becoming a first-time parent can be overwhelming and exhausting. Many parents also feel isolated as they remain home with their young children.”
These challenges are even more extreme for parents without a support network, Williams says. “Home visitors, who see parents struggling with a wide range of issues each day, are well positioned to help parents discover their strengths, relieve some of their tension, provide advice at appropriate times and generally put families on a promising path. Families who feel supported are more likely to provide children with the right environment for them to thrive.”
“The Council recognizes the work of home visitors, and we are committed to their professional growth,” Williams says. If we have more prepared, competent and credentialed home visitors, we will have more families with the knowledge and strategies to teach their children.”
And our youngest learners will be the ones who benefit most in the end, she says as she brings home the value of home visiting programs. “The more home visitors we have, the more children we’ll have in our country who are going to succeed.”
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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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