Council for Professional Recognition Congratulates Xavier Becerra on His Confirmation as Health and Human Services Secretary

WASHINGTON, DC — The Council for Professional Recognition congratulates Xavier Becerra on his confirmation by the U.S. Senate to serve as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Council’s CEO, Dr. Calvin Moore, Jr., says, “On behalf of the nearly 1 million early childhood educators who’ve earned a Child Development Associate credential, we look forward to working and partnering with Secretary Becerra and the entire Biden-Harris administration to further improve early learning. The pandemic has bought many challenges, especially in the education sector, but we know with the secretary’s background and knowledge about the value of early learning, we can make great strides.”

Becerra’s agency includes the Administration for Children and Families, which oversees Head Start, the national comprehensive early childhood program. Early Head Start centers have a minimum of a Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential or comparable credential and have been trained or have equivalent coursework in early childhood development with a focus on infant and toddler development.

While serving as a congressman, Becerra voted for the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 and continually supported increased funding for the early childhood education programs.

Earlier this year the Council also congratulated Dr. Miguel Cardona upon his confirmation to lead the U.S. Department of Education.

The CDA® is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education and is a key stepping stone on the path of career advancement. The CDA is based on a core set of competency standards, which guide early care professionals as they work toward becoming qualified teachers of young children. The Council works to ensure that the nationally-transferable CDA is a credible and valid credential, recognized by the profession as a vital part of professional development.

CDAs have knowledge of how to put the CDA Competency Standards into practice and understanding of why those standards help children move with success from one developmental stage to another. Put simply, CDAs know how to nurture the emotional, physical, intellectual, and social development of children.