s care providers, it often becomes natural to neglect our own needs. We use up all our time making sure the children in our care are happy and cared for, often at the expense of adequate sleep, nutrition, and emotional well-being. It isn’t until we become truly overwhelmed with our work that we step back and re-evaluate things. But instead of getting to that breaking point, there are strategies that can help us avoid that situation altogether.
It’s easy to feel the constant pressure due to our endless responsibilities. But I’d like to suggest an essential action for successfully accomplishing your
goals when needed – delegate. You may truly believe there is no one capable of doing any of your necessary tasks as well as you, but you must learn to let go of that mentality. So what if items are put away on the third shelf instead of the second shelf? At least they’re put away. From an early educator’s view, I know how hard it is to let go of what needs to be done. But my motto has become, “If someone offers help, take it!”
I have also had to let go of my comparisons between how others do things and how I would have done them. This is self-destructive and stress-inducing!
A few years ago, a colleague shared a funny but oh-so-true video entitled, “Age-activated Attention Deficit Disorder.” (Check this out on YouTube!). I realized it had less to do with age and more to do with lack of focus and not seeing tasks through to completion– both of which are a problem for most, but especially for those of us responsible for a room full of children and for everything else going on in our lives!
Sometimes when we have a lot to do, it’s hard to stay focused on completing one task at a time. You may think your multitasking is working, but that can be stressful in it of itself. It might seem as though a lot is getting done, but at the end of the day, very little has been accomplished and most is only half-baked. This is why prioritizing our time is essential in our line of work, since our days are already full of job responsibilities, we might not know what to do when other things pop up that we must take care of. Even creating a mental note for yourself will help you keep track of your time and what needs to get done first according to your own priorities.
To avoid these problems, I have created and incorporated a simple daily strategy plan into my morning routine. In other words, it’s a daily schedule that will help you map out all your tasks. This daily schedule, which can be written on a notepad, on a board, or even through a phone app, helps me remember the important pressing projects, as well as the stuff that can wait. Most importantly, it provides a solution to prioritizing everything.
This daily plan has brought sanity to my life and will do the same for yours. Sitting down with my new daily strategy plan over morning coffee has made all the difference. Before I even begin, I copy off the unfinished business from the previous day and write it at the top of the daily plan.
Then, I create the heading, “Brain Unload,” under which I jot down all the thoughts, ideas, issues, and things to do that are filling up my head. Now that they’re written down, they won’t be forgotten!
Next, there’s a space to rough in my schedule for the day, so I stay on time and know what’s coming up. Then, I use the spot titled, “Non-Negotiables” to list the top five things that absolutely must get done that day.
Finally, there’s a space titled, “My Little Reward for the Day.” This is reserved for one thing I can look forward to doing at the end of my day. Usually, it isn’t anything spectacular – maybe going out for a simple dinner with my husband, watching my favorite TV show, digging into that new novel, or FaceTime with one of my kids. The point is, you need to make time for something you enjoy that is not work or responsibility-related. This is so important in relieving stress and renewing our energy!
And, not to be forgotten…at the very bottom is a short list of longer term goals or events that I am looking forward to accomplishing and enjoying. This can be a professional development event, like the Councils’ 2016 Early Educators Leadership Conference in October, or a project that I hope to complete. The point is that we never want to lose sight of our goals and keeping them in sight every day is a great way to make sure we follow through.
Try my daily strategy plan for a week and see if it makes a difference in your sanity and focus. It is sure to translate into more productivity and effectiveness in your early childhood program, too!
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Vice President of Strategic Alliances
Elisa Shepherd is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances at the Council, where she leads initiatives to advance the Council’s mission and strategic plan through designing, managing, and executing a comprehensive stakeholder relationship strategy.
With over 25 years of experience in early childhood education (ECE), Elisa has dedicated her career to developing impactful programs, professional development opportunities, and public policies that support working families, young children, and ECE staff. Before joining the Council, Elisa held numerous roles within the childcare industry. Most recently, she served as Associate Vice President at The Learning Experience and as Senior Manager at KinderCare Education, where she influenced government affairs and public policies across 40 states.
Elisa’s commitment to leadership is reflected in her external roles on the Early Care and Education Consortium Board of Directors, the Florida Chamber Foundation Board of Trustees, and as the DEI Caucus Leader for KinderCare Education. She has been recognized as an Emerging Leader in Early Childhood by Childcare Exchange’s Leadership Initiative.
Elisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a focus on child development from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
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 (CFO)
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.
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.
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