Excitement. Jitters. Uncertainty.
The new school year comes with a multitude of emotions and challenges — but thankfully there are things you can do ahead of time to prepare and ensure it’s the best one yet.
At ChildCare Education Institute, (CCEI), we’ve spent the past 20+ years helping early educators like you get the training they need to be the best possible teacher inside and outside of the classroom.
That’s why we’re sharing our tips to help you get ready to welcome students into your classroom for the 2023-2024 year.
Last year’s student artwork has likely come down, but your bulletin boards might need to be spruced up. It’s also may be time to recycle all the old paperwork and lesson plans taking space in your files and throw out the broken crayons and dried-out paint sitting in your art stand.
Now’s also a great time to think about your classroom layout – perhaps you want to move your reading nook to a different part of the classroom or reorganize the manipulatives center.
Finally, while you’re moving furniture, it’s also best to give your room a nice deep cleaning and sanitizing before the kiddos (and their germs) arrive.
While you’re fixing up your classroom, channel your inner Container Store enthusiast. Make sure you have systems to keep everything in its place, including a filing system to help you stay organized and plenty of storage for classroom supplies, toys and more. Our motto, when in doubt, it’s always better to have too many containers than not enough. Be thoughtful about the materials you put out on the first day and create a system to rotate new materials from the supply closet on a regular basis.
Before the school year gets into full swing, review your existing lesson plans to see if anything in the curriculum has changed since last year. After all, best practices and recommendations for teachers are constantly changing, so you want to ensure your lessons are always incorporating the most developmentally appropriate early learning experiences for your little ones. Now is also a great time to incorporate any changes or key learnings you took away from certain lesson plans the previous year to help make the material even more effective. Finally, since the beginning of the year tends to be especially hectic, you can get ahead by creating your lesson plans for the first couple of weeks.
As an early childhood teacher, you know how important it is to be flexible and adapt to what’s happening in your classroom at a moment’s notice. That said, go ahead and plan out your first day, taking into account the breadth of emotions your kids (and their parents) will likely experience between drop-off and pick-up. Think about what transitions you want to implement with your students and what you can do to make them feel welcomed and supported right away.
Create your list of classroom rules on large posters (incorporating visuals where you can) and hang them throughout the room. You can then cover all the rules on the first day so your students know exactly what you expect of them.
With everything else happening, don’t lose sight of your own learning. Make the 2023-24 school year one to remember by starting your CDA journey with ChildCare Education Institute . And, while you’re at it, start knocking out college prerequisites with our friends at StraighterLine so you can get one step closer to a degree.
Before a child even steps into a classroom or child care center, their first lessons in life occur within the walls of their home. During their formative years, from birth to age five, children undergo...
As Congress begins negotiating the next round of appropriations to ensure the government is funded for the upcoming fiscal year, it’s important that we work together as child care advocates to amplify our collective voice....
You might have heard the buzz that Congress just passed a new bill funding the government that includes big wins for child care. But are you familiar with the legislative processes that got us here?...
Congress just passed a new bill funding the government that includes big wins for child care. Here’s what was included: According to CNN, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, or CCDBG, will see an...
Happy Year of the Dragon, educators and parents! Now that festivities have begun, this is a wonderful opportunity to introduce young children to the rich traditions and customs associated with the Chinese New Year. Explore...
SPONSORED BLOG The task of sitting down and writing out all of your early childhood education career goals can feel daunting. Where should you start? How far in the future should you plan? And, once...
Shinichi Suzuki believed that “all children have the ability at birth to become persons of high ability,” and held a “Grand Concert” to convince the world it was true. On a sunny day in 1955,...
To our followers – We want to bring your attention to an important matter regarding communication from the Council for Professional Recognition. Recently, a Facebook account impersonating the Council for Professional Recognition responded to people...
SPONSORED BLOG Whether you’re embarking on professional development (PD) to meet state requirements, or you want to invest in your own growth, PD has a number of benefits. First, it helps ensure you’re keeping up...
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.
Read our monthly e-newsletter and keep up to date on all Council programs and services, as well as the latest news in the world of early care and education. Subscribe today to stay connected with us. You’ll receive timely information on events, webinars, special promotions, and more.
