Boosting Brains by Building a Parent Nation
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...
Congress just passed a new bill funding the government that includes big wins for child care. Here’s what was included:
According to CNN, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, or CCDBG, will see an increase of $725 million over the allotment it received for fiscal year 2023 (Luhby & Lobosco, 2024). This much-needed adjustment in the fund that provides child care assistance for low-income families will bring the total annual investment in CCDBG to nearly $9 billion. Head Start will now be funded at over $12 billion—an increase of $275 million. It’s also worth noting that funding for the Preschool Development Grant B-5 (PDG) program has been maintained at its previous level, despite being at risk of cuts.
It’s important to bring these numbers into context. While $275 million may seem like a lot, it’s less than you would think when applied at scale. The Head Start dollars will allow the program to offer its staff a 2.3% cost of living adjustment, or COLA (National Head Start Association, 2024)—a highly-welcomed increase that still falls short of accommodating recent rates of inflation (The White House, 2024). Additional funding is still needed: not just to accommodate inflation, but to pay all Head Start educators and staff at a level that recognizes their expertise and the difference they make for families and the economy.
For CCDBG, too, the added $725 million is an incredible boon; yet even with these new funds, the program is a long way from serving all families who are eligible. According to the Center for Law and Social Policy, funding levels in 2020 limited CCDBG to serving only 18% of eligible families (Schmit, 2024). This year’s 9% increase will help the program serve more people, but significant additional investment will be required to ensure needs are met for all eligible families and participating child care providers.
Of course, these numbers are only part of the broader federal funding picture. The field continues to grapple with the end of stabilization funding that occurred at the end of September last year and is facing further declines in funding when Child Care and Development Fund discretionary dollars expire this fall (Woods, 2024). To truly thrive, child care needs substantial and sustainable investment. Without it, families, providers, and the economy are paying the price—to the tune of $122 billion in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue every year (ReadyNation, 2023).
The hard-won victories in 2024’s appropriations package recognize that child care is critical infrastructure for families and the economy. However, we must acknowledge that the work of advocating for funding levels that match families’ and providers’ needs is not yet done. As Congress embarks on the appropriations process again for fiscal year 2025, it is vital to urge them to build on these successes and fully fund child care.
Thank your legislators for fighting for child care and continue advocating here.
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...
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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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