Preparing for the New School Year
SPONSORED BLOG 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...
Welcome to the Council and thank you for checking out our new blog. It is with great excitement that the Council takes the first step in the world of blogging to communicate with all of you and have conversations with everyone who values early childhood education and our organization. Here you will find news about the Council, latest research and best practices in ECE, public policy initiatives, upcoming conferences and much more. Our goal with this blog is to create another avenue where we can offer useful tips about the CDA Credential, share candidates’ success stories, and host opinions on how early childhood education can be the window of opportunity for every child. In the coming weeks our CEO, Dr. Valora Washington, will introduce herself on the blog and share a little bit more about her professional career and our organization.
As you may already know, this year, the Council is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first CDA award. As part of the celebration, we are creating new platforms to communicate and share our remembrances, acknowledge present accomplishments and look to a future bright with the promise of a more unified and qualified profession.
In addition, The Council for Professional Recognition is moving forward in building partnerships with key organizations that are committed to excellence in the field of early childhood care and education by promoting leadership and quality training. In fact, this month the Council is extending its reach through partnerships with Monroe College to enable its students to earn the Council’s Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential. Stay tuned for more partnership initiatives in the coming months, which we will communicate through our blog.
We invite you to continue following us on social media to stay up to date with the Council’s latest news. If you already follow us on Facebook, keep an eye out for our CDA Friday Morning Spotlight. Every Friday morning we feature one Candidate and celebrate their CDA Credential. If you would like to become a part of the CDA Friday Morning Spotlight, please send an email to ClaudinaH@cdacouncil.org with your information and we will contact you about the date you will be featured. We look forward to receiving your story!
We will be updating this blog frequently to keep you updated on the happening at the Council in the wider early child care world.
Follow us on the Council’s Social Media Channels:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cdacouncil
Twitter: @cdacouncil
LinkedIn: Council for Professional Recognition
Instagram: @cdacouncil
SPONSORED BLOG 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...
Language and literacy skills are fundamental building blocks for a child’s development, enabling effective communication, social interaction, and academic success throughout grade school and beyond. For young children with disabilities, however, traditional educational models may...
The Council for Professional Recognition’s Council Alumni Network (CAN) recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. This free community boasts 1200+ members. CAN is a diverse group of stakeholders in early childhood education (ECE) across the U.S....
A couple of years before becoming a mother, I saw the classic movie Terms of Endearment. Before the opening credits, the film portrayed Aurora, played by Shirley MacLaine, as a worried mom who checked on...
“Every child deserves a champion,” said longtime teacher Rita Pierson in a famous TED talk. She was talking about “an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and...
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, I wanted to share how it is important for us all to reflect on women’s progress in the business world and the importance of supporting and empowering...
My mom called me up some years ago to praise a movie about a pig. As she began to mimic the pig’s squeaky little voice, I started to wonder what this meant and worried my...
It takes a village to raise a child, the old proverb tells us. But we need to expand our perspective, according to pediatric surgeon, social scientist and mom Dana Suskind. In her heartfelt work, Parent...
Dr. Calvin Moore shared that when he first arrived at the Council and took on the CEO role, he was focused on assessing the early childhood education (ECE) landscape, the reach of the organization and...
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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