Published by CounciLINK on April 23, 2020
“Michigan struggles to get qualified early educators in the door,” says Kelsey Laird, director of T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Michigan at the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children. It’s a national problem, and her group is taking steps to remove roadblocks that deter people from entering the early childhood field. For the last five years, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Michigan has helped providers to succeed in earning the Child Development Associate® (CDA), a credential that trains teachers to give children high-quality care and education.
T.E.A.C.H. knows the value of earning a CDA, especially when the training provides nine college credits toward an early childhood associate degree. “College credits inspire providers to continue their education,” Laird says, “so we have partnered with community colleges—including Bay, Mott, Northwestern Michigan College and more—to train cohorts of family and home-based providers in a comfortable, casual setting. Most of these providers have been in the field for a while and are now looking to advance their careers. They’re nontraditional students who work full-time, aren’t always comfortable with computers and have children of their own.”
Many of these providers are intimidated by the prospect of entering a college campus, she says. “They’re also uncomfortable being in classrooms with younger, more traditional students. So, we set up classes in relaxed settings like coffee shops and restaurants.” Being with their peers encourages them to participate more in the CDA classes, as Laird has seen.
T.E.A.C.H. also smooths the way for these CDA students by providing them with laptops while they’re taking classes and granting scholarships that cover the costs of the credits and books, along with CDA application and assessment fees. Educators have to work at least 20 hours in a licensed setting to get a scholarship, so T.E.A.C.H. offers Saturday and evening classes that fit into their schedules.
Applicants can also turn to a number of online resources that explain the program and the benefits it provides, Laird adds. “We have a website that provides all kinds of information about the credential. There’s a video that explains the importance of attaining a CDA and another video that walks applicants through the online application, including how to apply for scholarship assistance with our program.” There’s also information on the T.E.A.C.H. website about a free, all-day community event that helps providers get more comfortable with the application and assessment process.
For the last few years, T.E.A.C.H. has offered several CDA Resource Days, Laird says. “These events are located around the state and are free for providers to attend. Our staff, in partnership with volunteer Professional Development Specialists, run five sessions on topics that include Developing Competency Statements and Lesson Plans, Preparing for the PD Specialist Verification Visit, Taking a Mock CDA Exam, Putting Together Your Professional Portfolio and How to Apply for the Credential with a T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship. We also provide them with Competency Standards books and a professional portfolio binder to help them get more organized.”
They also benefit from the inspiration of hearing from role models like Najwa Dahdah of Empowered Child Care Consulting, a PD Specialist who mainly works with the Arab community in Dearborn. “She started with the T.E.A.C.H. program,” Laird says. “We helped her earn her CDA, and she’s gone on to guide other educators in serving children, families and the communities where they live. She recently finished her master’s degree and now she travels around the state to train candidates for the CDA and share our message about the importance of the credential.”
It’s an important career step, according to Elizabeth Hall, one of the first candidates in the T.E.A.C.H. cohort program. After earning her CDA, she went on to get her associate degree. And she’s now a family child care provider who advocates for her field. “I consider myself immensely blessed to have been given the opportunity to participate in the cohort program,” Hall says. “It didn’t just help me receive my CDA, it helped me become a better teacher, a more effective day care provider, and it gave me the tools I needed to develop a 5-star program.”
The program helps educators succeed, agrees a Danielle Keeter, a home child care provider. “The CDA cohort was extremely beneficial to my professional journey in so many ways,” she says. “It helped nurture the passion I already had for the field by giving me a better understanding of early childhood education and why it is so important. It also connected me with like-minded professionals who have continued to be a support and resource now that we have completed the program.”
And the program has very high completion rates, as Laird explains, because it’s so committed to breaking down the barriers that hold candidates back. “We give them a lot of training and peer support, and we coach them at the end on how to apply for the credential. We track them from the time they apply for the CDA to the time they earn it, and they get a bonus if they provide us with a copy of the credential. In short, we’re with them through the entire process.”
Many of them, like Dahdah and Hall, keep enrolling in classes and go on to earn degrees that help them open their own programs or qualify as lead teachers in the state. “We make them comfortable with the idea of college, provide them with foundational knowledge, and make it as easy as possible for them to get through credentialing” Laird says. “Then we provide them with additional scholarships that cover the cost of getting an associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree.”
It all starts with the CDA, Laird explains, since “it helps them get their foot in the door” and then move ahead in the ECE field. “The CDA is an entry way onto a career pathway.” And over the past five years T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Michigan has helped over 2,600 providers earn their CDA and embark on the path to success. In addition, the cohort program has inspired a lot of colleges to offer nontraditional models for earning a CDA. That’s “good news” for Michigan, she says. And it’s good news for young learners in the state. The CDA gives educators the skills they need to help children succeed, too.
SPONSORED BLOG The task of sitting down and writing out all of your early childhood education career goals can feel daunting. Where should you start? How far in the future should you plan? And, once...
Shinichi Suzuki believed that “all children have the ability at birth to become persons of high ability,” and held a “Grand Concert” to convince the world it was true. On a sunny day in 1955,...
To our followers – We want to bring your attention to an important matter regarding communication from the Council for Professional Recognition. Recently, a Facebook account impersonating the Council for Professional Recognition responded to people...
SPONSORED BLOG Whether you’re embarking on professional development (PD) to meet state requirements, or you want to invest in your own growth, PD has a number of benefits. First, it helps ensure you’re keeping up...
In the world of early childhood education, there’s a remarkable achievement that more people should know about – earning a Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™. The Council for Professional Recognition, a nonprofit that supports early...
SPONSORED BLOG Whether you’re just starting out in the early childhood field, or you’ve been teaching for years, chances are you’ve heard the term CDA at least a few times. The Child Development Associate® (CDA)...
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....
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.
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.
Read our monthly e-newsletter and keep up to date on all Council programs and services, as well as the latest news in the world of early care and education. Subscribe today to stay connected with us. You’ll receive timely information on events, webinars, special promotions, and more.
