Weighing Risks and RewardsTo mask or not to mask my child. That’s one of the questions parents are asking as fall approaches. Back to school will be different this year and folks aren’t comfortable with change. The rules seem to be constantly shifting, especially with the rise of the highly infectious Delta variant. After over a year, the pandemic is still at the front of parents’ minds as they debate whether to put their youngsters back in child care.
I know many parents are nervous and need a lot of reassurance. For example, Alison Manor, mom to a three-year-old girl, is dithering over whether to send her daughter to preschool. “At this point, she really hasn’t interacted with her peers since she was only one-and-a-half when the lockdown started,” Manor said. “We were so excited about preschool, but now with Delta it’s become really hard to make that decision.”
The rise in cases of COVID is making moms like Amanda Hermann feel hopeless. She has three children who range from two to eleven and is eager to send them to school. “I was ready at the end of spring and like ‘okay, this is great,’” she recalls. “Now I’m becoming anxious again though everybody is enrolled. There are people coming to our school board meeting saying they don’t want the children wearing masks,” and “it’s scary, especially when you hear how serious cases are surging in the South.”
All signs are that COVID won’t go away anytime soon. In the meanwhile, there are things early childhood programs can do to make parents feel more secure. They can send out videos of their building and its new safety features. They can tell parents of returning children how daily routines might differ, so the parents can prepare children for changes. And they can be open about what children would experience in the building.
Families had a lot of questions at Patterson Elementary, which serves Washington, DC, children from preschool age to fifth grade. “They wanted to know our policy on masks,” said Principal Virginia Thomas. “Do students need to be tested before school starts? What happens if a teacher tests positive for the virus?” And when families had concerns, “they got back to us ASAP,” said one family member who did opt to enroll her children in the program. The school’s rapid response helped build trust.
Families are also more likely to put faith in preschools whose staff have gotten the COVID vaccine, according to a new, national survey from Upfront, a financial resource that helps parents price child care. More than three-quarters of parents want mandatory vaccine for licensed child care staff. And it’s the right thing to do, said the CDA Advisory Committee that I convened this year. “Everyone 12 and older,” the committee advised, “should get the vaccine as soon as they possibly can.”
And teachers might find themselves feeling better after getting their shots. Ask Greta Pringle, a Washington, DC, preschool teacher who was aghast when she received an in-person teaching assignment this year. She said she had been wiping groceries for months and “had tremendous fear.” But once she received her first shot, she began to feel much safer. “It’s a journey,” Pringle explained. “You really have to go through that journey.”
The end is not in sight, and this fall it may be a real trial for teachers working with children who’ve been stressed out by the pandemic. Millions of young children have missed out on a key stage of social growth, and parents are seeing more behavior problems than they did in pre-pandemic days. The increase in clinginess, crying spells and distraction has led the experts to issue a strong call for children to return to school. “I’d rather take the small risk of my child getting COVID than my child’s emotional well-being suffering because she can’t make friends or have a connection with her teacher,” said Dr. Neeraj Sood, director of the COVID Initiative at the University of Southern California.
“Safely returning to in-person instruction in fall 2021 is a priority,” according to the CDC. And the American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued this statement. “Children absolutely need to return to in-school learning for their healthy development and well-being. We know that some children are really suffering without the support of in-person classroom experiences or adequate technology at home.”
So, as parents think this month about sending their children back to preschool, they should carefully weigh the pros and cons. Granted, there are risks, but there’s no question the rewards are great, as the experts agree. Parents need the facts to make an informed decision. And they need to know that our educators are doing all they can to keep young children safe.
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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.
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