Usma Mohamed
news@cdacouncil.org
WASHINGTON — The Council for Professional Recognition, the leader in the credentialing of early childhood educators worldwide, is proud to partner with Too Small to Fail, the early childhood initiative of the Clinton Foundation, with a video featuring Chelsea Clinton that celebrates their efforts to benefit the sector.
The video highlights a unique opportunity for those pursuing the Council’s Child Development Associate® credential to learn from the online early-educator professional development program STRIVE for 5! Early Childhood Educator Bootcamp. STRIVE FOR 5!, available at no charge to educators, provides a comprehensive set of tools and ideas to promote children’s early brain and language development by improving the quality of the early learning environment and fostering school-parent connections. Diverse groups of educators connected to the National Head Start Association and the National Association for Family Child Care advised on aspects of the content training materials.
Dr. Calvin Moore, Jr., the CEO of the Council, says, “We’re excited to announce candidates for the Council’s Child Development Associate credential will receive 20 hours toward their CDA after completing STRIVE for 5! Our candidates understand our core set of competency standards that guide early childhood professionals toward becoming qualified educators of young children. In addition, STRIVE for FIVE! is a great resource for our experienced CDAs in classrooms who want a refresher or new ways of thinking about how to create a vocabulary-rich early learning environment and enrich daily moments with activities like talking, reading and singing.”
Patti Miller, the CEO of Too Small to Fail, says, “We want to ensure that early educators have access to tools and training to support young children’s language development in early learning environments and help families extend that learning at home. We are thrilled to partner with the Council for Professional Recognition to continue to expand our reach to early educators and serve more families across the country.”
In her video message for early childhood educators, Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, says, “I’m so pleased our early childhood initiative Too Small to Fail is partnering with the Council for Professional Recognition. At Too Small to Fail, we share the Council’s commitment for advancing equity in early childhood education…Every child deserves high quality learning opportunities and environments that prepare them to thrive and reach their highest potential throughout their lives. And I am grateful and in awe every day for everyone who is committed to this work — especially the early childhood educators who show up to care for, to support, to nurture, and to empower our nation’s children.”
The STRIVE for 5! program is designed to be easy-to-use, flexible, and completed at educators’ own pace. The program covers five key topics: Getting to Know Young Children, Engaging Children in Playful Learning, Creating a Literacy-Rich Environment, Connecting with Parents and Families and Supporting Diverse Learners.
The STRIVE for 5! program offers bilingual (English/Spanish) downloadable tools, including an educator guide, video series, cards for engaging students and mini-wall posters.
After completion of the STRIVE FOR 5! program, participants will receive 20 credit hours in CDA Subject Area 8: Understanding the Principles of Child Development and Learning. These hours also can be applied to CDA certification renewal.
The Council and Too Small look forward to other ways to work together, including the sharing of the Council’s blogs, stories and research; encouraging more candidates to pursue a CDA credential; recruiting additional CDA Professional Development Specialist™; and meaningful involvement in the Council’s annual Early Educators Leadership Conference.
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 TOO SMALL TO FAIL
Too Small to Fail, the early childhood initiative of the Clinton Foundation, promotes early brain and language development by supporting parents and caregivers with tools to talk, read, and sing with their young children from birth. Today, almost 60 percent of children in the United States start kindergarten unprepared, lagging behind their peers in critical language and reading skills. Through partnerships with pediatricians, hospitals, faith-based leaders, community-based organizations, businesses, entertainment industry leaders, and others, Too Small to Fail is meeting parents where they are to help them prepare their children for success in school and beyond. Whether at the pediatrician’s office or the playground, Too Small to Fail aims to make small moments big by creating opportunities for meaningful interactions anytime, anywhere. Learn more at www.toosmall.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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