Usma Mohamed
news@cdacouncil.org
WASHINGTON — Early childhood educators who are seeking or want to renew their Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential from the Council for Professional Recognition now have a convenient way to verify their training hours, thanks to a robust partnership with The National Workforce Registry Alliance (NWRA).
NWRA partners with Early Childhood Education (ECE) Professional Registries. The NWRA is the membership home to 44 Early Childhood (ECE) Professional Registries for 44 states, reaching more than 1.8 million providers. The agreement means educators with CDA®credentials can more easily learn about professional development, quality initiatives, opportunities for growth and professional advancement, as well as seamlessly track and report their career progression. Currently, nearly 2 million members of the ECE workforce nationally participate in registries that partner with NWRA, and the goal is to greatly increase the number of CDA-holders represented in the registry.
Dr. Kimberlee Belcher-Badal, executive director of NWRA, says, “We’re honored to join with the Council for Professional Recognition, which has awarded nearly 1 million CDA credentials. The CDA is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education and is a crucial stepping stone to career advancement in early childhood education.
“This first-of-its-kind partnership will increase professional registry efficiency, accuracy and support available to CDA-holders and early learning workforce members looking to obtain one. Our overarching objective is to contribute to improved outcomes for children by better supporting the people caring for children, through their professional development registries.”
Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr., CEO for the Council for Professional Recognition, says, “This agreement with the National Workforce Registry Alliance is creating a one-stop place for CDA aspirants and credential holders to document and verify their training for assessment and renewal. We’re confident this agreement builds on our goal to create a CDA assessment system that’s more efficient for all stakeholders. It also gives us more convenient ways to share details about available CDA support and services, including CDA scholarships and high quality training opportunities. All of this will result in a deeper sense of belonging and recognition for our professional educators.”
The agreement also means the Council will improve the recruitment, availability and accessibility of CDA Professional Development Specialists (PDS)™, who use their ECE expertise to assess CDA candidates’ competencies and facilitate reflective conversations with the candidates.
The Council and NWRA say the arrangement aims to better connect the needs of the ECE sector to the available workforce and, hopefully, help to alleviate current staffing and training shortages.
ABOUT THE COUNCIL FOR PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
The Council for Professional Recognition promotes improved performance and recognition of professionals in the early childhood education of children ages birth to 5 years old. The Council recognizes and credentials professionals who work in all types of early care and education settings including Head Start, pre-k, infant-toddler, family childcare, and home visitor programs. As a nonprofit organization, the Council sets policies and procedures for assessment and credentialing. To date, close to one million Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials have been issued around the world. For more information, visit www.cdacouncil.org.
ABOUT NATIONAL WORKFORCE REGISTRY ALLIANCE
The National Workforce Registry Alliance is a charitable, non-profit organization with a mission to advance an equitably recognized and represented early childhood and out-of-school time workforce, by strengthening workforce data quality and establishing professional development system standards for registries. We envision a future in which the nation demonstrates its commitment to quality in early learning through equitable compensation of a well–prepared and adequately supported early childhood and out-of-school time workforce, by utilizing reliable workforce data to inform policy action and drive research. www.registryalliance.org
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Chief Operations Officer
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
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.
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