The Council shined brightly in the course of 2023. The stars were aligned to put a spotlight on our work as child care continues to recover from COVID. Child care closures during the pandemic made it clear that the economy depends on having enough of the qualified early childhood teachers America’s working families need to be productive. Recent polls have shown that most voters and business leaders feel access to quality, cost-effective child care is essential, and that’s giving politicians the impetus to build up the early childhood workforce. During the past year, there’s been a surge in funding for the CDA^® as state and federal lawmakers seek to ease the ongoing child care crunch.

Growing support for our credential has led the Council to assume more of a starring role in the policy arena, as Dr. Moore tells us in his latest blog. This year we issued our first independent policy agenda, where we endorse ways to boost access to CDA training and recognition for the credential in state regulations—guidance that is gaining traction. The Council is also partnering with the Maryland State Department of Education to provide $1 million in funding for educators to earn or renew their CDA. And Council COO Andrew Davis recently testified at the Massachusetts State House in support of a bill to set up apprenticeships that allow high schoolers and working educators to earn their CDA.

Andrew was also among the speakers at our 2023 Early Educators Leadership Conference in Houston, where we boasted a record turnout. The conference offered a wide array of options for meeting the needs of young children and the educators who serve them as we work to drive change in our profession. With the pandemic in the past, the conference served as a venue to innovate, inspire and impact the early childhood community nationwide. ECE leaders learned how in the Lone Star State as they heard from stars of the early childhood profession.

Now the Council has a new star since this year we awarded our millionth CDA to Jada Vargas, a recent high school grad and member of the Apache Tribe. Newly minted CDAs like Jada can look forward to bright careers, according to the CDA Credential Holders Survey that came out this fall. The survey showed that owners and directors are more likely to hire someone with a CDA than someone without it since educators who succeed in earning their CDA are more prepared for the classroom. CDA holders are also likely to earn more and gain promotions than their non-credentialed colleagues. So, increasing access to the CDA can make ECE a more attractive career at a time when educators are in such short supply.

Expanding access to the CDA also promotes the Council’s enduring goal to increase equity in early learning. And we’ve made our mission even more clear in the third edition of our CDA textbook, Essentials for Working with Young Children, which came out in 2023. In the new, updated Essentials, we’ve put our previous content through an equity lens and honed our focus on how to use the microcosm of the classroom to make a macro impact by giving children a sense of social justice when they are young.

This was also the mission of Shinichi Suzuki, as you’ll learn when you read our review of Suzuki: The Man & His Dream to Teach the Children of the World. The original goal of the Suzuki Method of music instruction was not to produce little prodigies on the violin, a common misconception nowadays. Instead, Suzuki wanted to spark a revolution in education, based on the idea that talent is not an innate trait. Practicing and repetition are the keys to mastering any skill, he proposed. And environment, not genetics, is the key to unlocking all children’s potential. Every child’s talent could be nurtured, Suzuki maintained, so that “all the children around the world shine like little stars”—a belief we at the Council also embrace. In the coming year, we’ll continue to shoot for the stars as we advance our valued credential. There’s a growing belief that CDA holders know how to bring out the promise in every child.

With high hopes for 2024,
The Council for Professional Recognition

The post Council Letter appeared first on CDA Council.

“Child care is a textbook example of a broken market,” said U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen in 2021 as the pandemic hit our field hard. “One reason is that when you pay for it, the price does not account for all the positive things that it confers on our society. An enormous body of economic literature finds that kids with access to quality child care end up in school longer and in higher-paying jobs afterward. When we underinvest in child care, we forego that; we give up a happier, healthier, more prosperous labor force in the future.”

That’s a serious risk we take unless we invest in our early childhood teachers. They play a crucial role in forming the labor force of the future, as Yellen pointed out. Our educators also play an essential role for today’s working parents, so the stakes are high now that pandemic-era federal funding for child care has come to an end. Child care providers are finding it hard to recruit and retain staff because educators are moving to higher-paying jobs in other fields, like retail, in the wake of COVID-related disruptions. And they’re not coming back to their jobs in our field unless those jobs change. Now it’s up to state and federal policymakers to address their needs.

There’s no solution to the child care crisis that does not include increasing pay. At the same time, we need to reimagine child care education and training programs to lend more support to this crucial but sorely undervalued workforce. Most college courses in early childhood education are out of sync with the students they serve, leading to declining enrollment. Many of the learners they would serve have to work while pursuing their education, and some already hold jobs in child care. Time is a constraint for many current and prospective child care professionals, so they need efficient, online programs, like the Child Development Associate^® (CDA) Credential, which they can fit into their busy schedules. And earning a CDA^® can lead educators to gain more of the compensation and recognition they deserve, as the Council points out in its new policy agenda.

This is the first time the Council has raised an independent voice in the policy arena, and our agenda makes the following recommendations to advance the early childhood workforce that we serve. State and federal policies should increase access to credit-bearing, high-quality CDA training options for educators through workforce programs, including apprenticeships. Another step ahead would be to increase access to early care and education pathways for high school students by expanding CDA career and technical education programs, a way to provide new avenues for young folks entering our field. Lawmakers should also draw interest to the CDA by recognizing it in state-level regulations as the preferred entry-level credential for the early childhood profession.

And I’m glad to see that lawmakers have already begun to recognize the value of the CDA, based on its close to five decades training competent teachers for the classroom. In Delaware, the state has awarded a $31.6 million grant to the Early Childhood Innovation Center (ECIC) at Delaware State University, and the funding allows ECIC to provide the state’s early childhood professionals with technology, coaching, tuition assistance and access to flexible coursework as they work toward the CDA. Recently, North Carolina passed a law including the CDA in its quality rating and improvement system, and as of October, the Infant-Toddler CDA and Preschool CDA count toward filling the requirements for a star-rated license. Now lawmakers hope the new law will help to ease recruitment efforts for child care workers in North Carolina amid the staffing shortages that affect the field in states nationwide.

That’s also the hope in Maryland, where the Council is playing a direct role in increasing access to the CDA. In Maryland, the Council responded to a request for proposal that led it to partner with the state department of education to provide $1 million in funding to aid educators in earning or renewing their CDA. The funding assistance began by including the online assessment or renewal fee and publications, then recently came to include training. By earning their CDA, Maryland’s child care professionals are expanding their career options and gaining greater knowledge with which to serve young children across the state.

Rising educators in Massachusetts may also have more opportunities to earn their CDA, due to the efforts of State Rep. David LeBoeuf, who I met at a Hunt Institute conference last year. My talk on the CDA inspired him to introduce Bill H3755: An Act relative to rebuilding our early childhood workforce, and recently Council COO Andrew Davis joined him to testify in support of the bill at the Massachusetts State House. If passed, the bill will create apprenticeship opportunities that allow high school students and working educators to earn their CDA. The bill would also reduce costs for CDA candidates enrolled in public institutions of higher education, cover the cost of the CDA exam for other candidates and allow colleges to count the CDA for college credits. The  result would be a much-needed influx of educators into Massachusetts classrooms since the state’s latest survey data found that 35 percent of center-based child care programs are serving fewer children than their licensed capacity, which leaves about 10,000 slots empty due to shortfalls in staff.

There’s also a staffing shortage in Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms nationwide, where 19 percent of positions are vacant, leading to many empty classrooms. As a result, children in underserved communities are receiving even fewer of the services they need, and this grim situation has led Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Mike Braun (R-IN) to introduce the HEADWAY Act (Head Start Education and Development Workforce Advancement and Yield Act), bipartisan legislation that would allow Early Head Start classroom teachers to teach and earn their CDA at the same time.

Passage of the act would not simply provide Head Start children with more highly qualified teachers. It would also help in retaining Head Start staff since educators with CDAs tend to earn higher pay. And they deserve it, according to a recent notice of proposed rulemaking from the Office of Head Start. The proposed rule would set standards for staff compensation that require programs to promote competitive wages for teachers by August 2031. To be more precise, the proposed standards would require Head Start programs to pay their educators yearly wages that are on par with those of public-school preschool teachers—a good start toward a bigger goal.

All our early childhood teachers deserve more pay and recognition, according to the final pillar of the Council’s policy agenda. Moving ahead, we’re committed to keep putting a spotlight on their vital—but undervalued—work and pleading their case before public officials. In the coming year, we will advance change by supporting more government investments aimed at improving job quality and pay for our early childhood teachers nationwide. Without it, the child care sector will not make up for the serious shortfall in staff. So, policymakers must seize the moment to invest in these essential workers. We need to fix the broken child care market, and one of the ways we can succeed is to help more educators earn their CDAs.

The post A Moment with Dr. Moore appeared first on CDA Council.

Out of Ratio Podcast

Let’s talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in ECE. The Council’s Community Development Manager, Maisah Williams-Foote, was a guest on the podcast, “Out of Ratio with Bertelsen Education” to dive into creating a more inclusive culture in ECE. Maisah helps us think about how we can create a more inclusive classroom environment—and how we may be doing it already! Listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Know Before You Click: How to Protect Yourself Against Phishing Scams

We want to bring your attention to an important matter regarding communication from the Council for Professional Recognition.

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Biden’s Plan to Raise Salaries for Head Start Teachers Could Leave Fewer Seats for Children

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new plan from the Biden administration could significantly increase salaries for thousands of low-paid early childhood teachers caring for the country’s poorest children but might force some centers to reduce their enrollment.

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Updated Resource to Support the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education (the Departments) today announced the release of an updated joint-policy statement on supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs.

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Connecticut

Governor Lamont Announces Connecticut’s First Registered Apprenticeship Program to Train Workers for High-Demand, Home-Based Child Care Jobs

HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo, Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) Commissioner Beth Bye, and CSEA SEIU Local 2001 President Travis Woodward today held a news conference in Hartford to announce the formation of a new Registered Apprenticeship Program to encourage jobseekers to enter careers in home-based child care and fill high-demand jobs in this field.

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New Hampshire

Lack of State-Funded Preschool Leaves NH Children Lagging Behind Peers

Education experts say children in New Hampshire are at risk of falling behind their peers in other states with well-funded preschool programs.

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New Mexico

New Mexico’s Early Childhood Development Gets $10 Million for Preschool Development

New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department will get $10 million in federal dollars at the end of the calendar year for preschool development.

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Vermont

Child Care Providers See Benefits of State Subsidies in Lamoille County

A collection of parents, lawmakers, advocates and child care providers gathered in the partially constructed new addition to Apple Tree Learning Center in Stowe earlier this month to tout the benefits of a slew of state subsidies that proponents claim is already having a transformative effect on an essential but troubled Vermont industry.

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The post What’s Happening in Your State? appeared first on CDA Council.

Congressional Record Tribute to Jada Vargas

Mr. KELLY. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the recipient of the 1 millionth Child Development Associate CDA credential.

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Our 2023 conference tour has come to an end leaving us with memories that will last. We had the honor to meet colleagues everywhere from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Omaha, Nebraska. And their sense of commitment to ECE is making an impact that will also last in communities nationwide. We wish all of you a happy holiday season and joyous New Year until we meet again.

In 2024, we look forward to seeing more of the wonderful folks who share our passion for the ECE field. And we want to share some of our fond memories of them with you. So, take a look at Council staff at work during the NAEYC conference in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the latest stop on our ongoing road trip to you.

NAEYC Conference Highlight

Take a look at the Council at work at the NAEYC Conference in Nashville, TN.

The post On the Road with the Council appeared first on CDA Council.

Did you know over 13,000 Maryland educators now hold a CDA^® credential? They play a vital role in guiding young learners toward success, as the Maryland State Department of Education already knows. So, the department has partnered with the Council to provide funding that can assist CDA holders in renewing their credentials. In addition, if you are interested in applying for the CDA, you can take advantage of this opportunity too. The funding assistance includes the online assessment or renewal fee, publications and—even TRAINING! Learn how you can participate in the training initiative here.

Apply for funding today through the Maryland grant. Take advantage of this cost-effective way to renew or earn your CDA. It will assist you in the classroom—and advance your early childhood career. For full details, download the information sheet here. Then, share it with your colleagues, so they, too, are aware of this great way to move up in the ECE field.

The post Maryland Early Childhood Educators: You Can Earn Your CDA at No Cost appeared first on CDA Council.

Do you enjoy helping rising teachers achieve their career goals and advance young children’s growth? Consider becoming a PD Specialist for the Council.

Before applying, review our eligibility requirements. If you’re eligible, we invite you to submit a PD Specialist application online.

Be sure to view our CDA PD Specialist application tutorials before applying.

We encourage you to spread the word about this meaningful career opportunity to members of your ECE network. So, share our PDS recruitment brochure with them in either English or Spanish.

The post Become a CDA Professional Development Specialist™ appeared first on CDA Council.

The Council Alumni Network recently marked its one-year birthday building community in ECE. In this brief span of time, CAN has brought together 1,200-plus diverse early childhood stakeholders across the U.S. and abroad. When you join them, you’ll enjoy all the benefits of belonging to CAN. As a CAN member, you’ll be able to join chats on trending topics in ECE and hear from key influencers in our field. You’ll also have an avenue to influence others by making a presentation, writing a blog or guiding a discussion. These opportunities and more are available on the CAN platform, a place where connectivity happens. Join a growing group of colleagues who’ve already taken advantage of this chance to listen, learn and lead.

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