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 you have your goals nailed down, how do you start working toward them?
At ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI), we’re dedicated to helping early childhood educators like you meet your personal and professional development goals through online courses, certification programs and more.
That’s why we’ve put together this how-to guide to help you set and achieve your professional goals in child care with ease:
Think about where you want to end up and plan backward.
While it may seem counterintuitive, start your goal-planning session by determining where you’d like to be at the end of your set period of time. Write down your dream destination (e.g. owning my own center, serving as lead teacher, etc.) in as much detail as possible. If you’re having trouble thinking about where you’d like to be, try describing your ideal day instead. What time do you get to work? What are you doing while you’re there? When do you head home, and how are you feeling at the end of the workday?
Get ‘smart’ with your goals.
Once you have an idea of where you want your career to go, map out the steps needed to get there. Take each step and turn it into a goal that can help guide you on your path to professional success.
To ensure the goals you’re creating are realistic and can help you achieve your overall dream, we recommend putting each one through the SMART test. That requires asking yourself whether or not your goals are:
By setting SMART goals, you’ll help ensure you’ve have a plan in place to succeed — and knowing that will help keep you motivated along the way.
Write them down.
Studies have shown that people who write down their professional goals are more likely to achieve them, so take a moment to physically write down the SMART goals you’ve created. If you’ve have a personal planner or calendar, input the deadlines for your major goals, along with reminders for when you should be at the halfway point. This will help you remember your goals and ensure you’re keeping yourself accountable for meeting them.
Find support.
Whether it’s your manager, co-worker or best friend, find someone to share your goals with. Talk to them about the motivation behind your goals, how you want to achieve them and what your ideal timeline looks like. Then, ask if they can help keep you accountable along the way via semi-regular check-ins.
Revisit your goals regularly.
Early childhood education career goals are not something you can set and then forget. Like all things in life, your professional goals can grow and change over time. Think about what you wanted in your career four years ago. Is it the same thing you’d want today? With that in mind, schedule time to regularly revisit your goals. Are your priorities still the same? If so, how are you doing in relation to your goal timeline? If you haven’t been hitting the benchmarks you’d hoped to, think about why that could be and see if your plan needs to be adjusted. Even if your goals and timeline are still the same, having that time to revisit your plan can help motivate you to push forward.
Celebrate the wins.
As you work through your goals, be sure to take time to celebrate whenever you successfully cross one off the list. This can be something simple, like treating yourself to an iced coffee on the way into your center, or it can be taking time off to do the things you love most. By celebrating your accomplishments, you’ll be more aware of the progress you’re making and feel more confident about completing the remaining steps.
Whether your goal is to earn your Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™, knock out your state-required hours or start on the path toward a college degree, CCEI and StraighterLine can help you achieve them. Click here to learn more.
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...
We have probably all seen the commercials this time of year when you can hear the popular holiday song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, playing in the background as parents dance joyously...
Did you know early childhood educators in Maryland have a special benefit that can help them and the children they serve? The Maryland State Department of Education has awarded a $1 million grant to the...
For the first time in three years, the Education Writers Association (EWA) gathered in person for their National Seminar in Orlando last month. The event drew journalists from across the country to hear from leaders...
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.
