“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 insists that they become the best that they can possibly be”—words that describe our early childhood teachers who hold a CDA®. You are the champions our children deserve, and you have a new way of showing parents and peers just how special you are. To celebrate and promote educators like you, the Council has designed three posters that describe the “10 Qualities of an Extraordinary CDA Educator.” You can use them to tell everyone about the ways you stand out in the field of early childhood education. So, click below to download yours today!
We also encourage you to spread the word about your CDA on social media by sharing our new posters on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #CDAandBeyond, or by tagging the Council. You might even be featured on the Council’s social media because we want to highlight extraordinary early childhood educators like yourself.
Great educators like you do more than teach children the three Rs and respond to their questions. They understand the roadblocks young learners face, know how to fill their needs and give them tools to succeed. They see and educate the whole child. And you can do that because you’ve gained the skills laid out in Essentials for Working with Young Children, the Council’s flagship text. You have earned your CDA, an achievement that shows you know how to reach children’s hearts, emotions and minds.
You do that by wearing many hats, as our new posters point out. You’re an expert on safety and health. You’re a child development architect who knows how to build brains and design a space that promotes learning and exploration. You’re a communication guru, who helps kids express themselves through both words and acts. You know how to use music, movement and visual arts to stir the creative spark in every child. You advocate for all children by treating them with compassion and caring in the early childhood setting. You also show them how to behave beyond your classroom walls in the wider world, where many children face challenges, as you understand. And their parents often struggle, too, so you even serve as a family advocate who helps families find the resources they need.
Families mainly rely on you to give special care to their precious little ones, and you can rise even higher in their eyes by showing them the value of your CDA. It proves that you’re a competent teacher who’s committed to continue learning in your field. And you can encourage others to also learn more about earning a CDA by using these downloads, whether as posters in your facility, notices on a bulletin board or handouts to colleagues and the parents who you serve.
We want to help you tout your achievement because we know the importance of what you do. It goes beyond teaching 123s and ABCs, as famed Detroit Free Press columnist Bob Talbert understood. “Teaching kids to count is fine,” he wrote, “but teaching them what matters is best.” The kindness you show in the classroom goes far towards helping kids know the type of caring folks they want to grow up to be.
Your work advances equity, the Council’s enduring mission, and we want to help you grow as professionals in ECE. You’ve already taken a big step by earning your CDA. Now we urge you to follow new paths to success by learning from peers on the Council Alumni Network, joining our online seminars, attending our Early Educators Leadership Conference and using the many resources we provide on the Council website. We also encourage you to use these new posters to get the recognition you should have. They’re one of the many ways the Council shows that we’re always here for you. We know that our educators are essential and deserve champions, too.
Recommended for Birth to 36 Months
Recommended for Ages 3-5
Printer Friendly Option (Ages 3-5)
Recommended for All Ages
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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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