Dear Colleagues,
Those of us in the early learning field know that parents are their children’s first teachers. And parents received some of the credit they deserve when we marked National Parents’ Day this month. The celebration of parents began in 1994 when former President Bill Clinton signed a resolution to support those who take on “the important role of a raising a child.” The resolution described this special parents’ day “as a chance to create a positive tradition based on a core axiom—that the role of parents is crucial in the nurturing and development of children, and thus requires investment, focus, and commitment.”
These words had meaning for President Clinton because he knows “there is nothing more precious to a parent than a child, and nothing more important to our future than the safety of all our children.” And teachers also play an important role as parents’ close partners in keeping kids happy and safe, as Clinton’s daughter Chelsea believes. That’s why she partnered with the Council a few years ago to offer Too Small to Fail, an early learning initiative of the Clinton Foundation. The partnership led to Strive for 5!, online training that counted for 20 credits toward the Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™. The CDA® training advanced the foundation’s mission to “surround families with early language and learning opportunities and partnering to prepare young children for success in kindergarten and beyond.”
And earning a CDA also launched Shearese Stapleton on a career as a family engagement specialist who’s had firsthand experience of the hardships many families face. Shearese overcame divorce, homelessness and depression to found Mothers of Joy Institute for Parenting and Family Wellness. Her nonprofit gives Flint, Michigan, families hope and a safe place to surmount their problems through courses on managing anger, understanding childhood trauma and using best practices to raise children. She also guides parents in gaining life skills that will help them build friendships and careers, as she explains. “I want to help parents have strong values, believe in themselves and want more for their children than they had.”
Children have the best chance of success if we start by supporting parents and families, as Sara Jane Blackman understands. She does that as director of professional development at Parents as Teachers in St. Louis, Missouri. PAT matches parents with trained parent educators who make regular home visits during a child’s early years. The educators tend to see families that face multiple stressors, like hunger, substance abuse, unemployment, lack of proper housing and education, which make it hard to build strong family bonds. But the parent educators can help because they have quality training, including core courses that can lead to a CDA. The educators also meet parents where they are, as Sara points out “We want to know the strengths, support and knowledge that parents already have. We’re not barging into homes with an agenda that says we know better than you. Instead, we’re always looking to partner with parents.”
Parent and provider collaboration is among the topics that speakers will address at the Engaging Exchange Fall Conference: Clearing Pathways to Leadership, Joy, and Equity in ECE. Tune in next month to this interactive event to also learn more about how to stand up for policies that support ECE and make your own plan to surmount roadblocks in our field. In addition, the conference is a chance to hear from Dr. Calvin Moore on a topic in which he has special expertise: the challenges of men in ECE.
The roadblocks men face in our field include social norms that prevent them from hugging young learners. And these norms are at odds with the science of hugs. Hugs cause the brain to release hormones that help children become smarter, grow up stronger and resist stress, Dr. Moore tells us this month as we mark Global Hug Your Kids Day. As an education expert and a dad, he knows the importance of hugs, and how much children need them to be happy, healthy human beings. The warm, fuzzy feelings that small children get from hugs make a real impact on how they develop. Hugs fuel their bodies, feed their minds and help ensure that they do not fail.
Happy National Parents’ Day,
The Council for Professional Recognition
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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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