You can choose any career you want when you grow up, except for early childhood education.
Whether explicit or implied, this is the message that our society — and to some degree our own profession — sends to men, even in the 21st century.
What a missed opportunity this represents to bring smart, nurturing, energetic individuals into a field that needs them as educators, caregivers and role models.
In a recent white paper titled “Supporting Men as Early Childhood Educators,” we explore the barriers that men face in gaining employment in early childhood education settings and how encouraging men to be in these roles benefits the workforce, our children and our social fabric.
Consider this: Since the 1970s, the percentage of men working in early care and education has ranged from 2.1 percent to 5.9 percent of the total early childhood workforce. In 2018, the number of men in the field reached 6.3 percent.1
This data point conveys two important truths: First, men want to work in early childhood education. Second, we have not opened the door wide enough for more men to do so.
As the white paper explains, the cards are stacked against men for a few reasons. Low pay, low professional status, and the potential for suspicion and accusations top the list. While external economic forces are in play for the first two reasons, I challenge us all to consider how we can collectively overcome the third.
We know that men can and do thrive in early childhood education. We know male teachers serve as important role models that can contribute to boys’ development and growth.
We also know that some people — parents, administrators, perhaps even some teachers — may still have outdated notions of what a teacher should look like.
The good news is that we are paying attention to this issue, and a shift — even if it’s a slow one — appears to be on the horizon, thanks to programs nationwide that are inspiring and training men to enter the early childhood field.
From California to the Carolinas, programs are tackling the disparity from different angles:
The Council is likewise doing its part to build an early childhood education workforce. Men can train for a career in early childhood care and education, as well as increase their credibility with parents and the field, by earning our Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™. Since credential earners must complete 120 hours of coursework and 480 hours of experience working with children, the CDA builds essential competency.
If you want to learn more about the CDA, I encourage you to visit us at www.cdacouncil.org/credentials/apply-for-cda.
Can we flip the script on long-held biases toward men in early childhood education? From where I sit, it would be a tragedy not to try.
Please read the full white paper at www.cdacouncil.org/white-papers.
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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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