The Early Educators Leadership Conference (EELC) is an opportunity for ECE leaders to network and learn from one another. During EELC 2024, the Council engaged several trailblazers in the field to discuss the importance of high-quality early childhood education and the impact of the Child Development Associate® Credential™. We are proud to share our interview with Dr. Kim Krzanowski, as she discusses the impact of the CDA® and the Council on ECE professionals and the communities they serve.
Interviewed by; Lauren Brooks, Marketing Manager, Loyalty and Retention.
LB: Please tell us about your journey and current role in the field of early childhood education.
Dr. Kim Krzanowski, Executive Director, Early Childhood Innovation Center at Delaware State University:
KK: My name is Dr. Kim Krzanowski. I have the pleasure of serving as the Executive Director for the Early Childhood Innovation Center at Delaware State University. I’ve been in the field of early childhood for about 20 years. I started as an infant toddler teacher and went on to become a preschool teacher. I was a director for quite a few years and then I wanted to figure out how I could support the workforce in a different way. So, I landed in higher education.
LB: Why should people care about early childhood education?
KK: It’s the most fundamental priority in the world. Children are the most precious cargo that we have and to not prioritize their health, well-being, education is insane to me. I’ve seen what happens when children receive a quality start in life. As a result, I’m a staunch advocate for this work. It should literally be on the top of everyone’s docket, and everyone’s priority. We cannot expect people to thrive and grow if they do not have a quality fundamental start. And that start is early childhood education.
LB: How does having a CDA allow early childhood educators provide a quality start for young children?
KK: I’ve seen the difference the CDA makes in classrooms and with educators. When an educator walks in and says I have a CDA, suddenly their confidence shines and you also see their confidence in classrooms with children day in and day out. So, the importance of the CDA is that it is the signal that keeps shining to the rest of the world indicating that early childhood educators are here to stay, they are vital, they are important, and earning the credential is the best first step that they can take in their career trajectory.
LB: Who do you encourage to earn a CDA?
KK: If you have a passion for working with children, and you want to really set yourself up for success, then you should earn a CDA. The CDA allows you to think about the competencies, the practice, and best practices that you are learning while you’re completing your portfolio, and getting ready for your observation, and preparing for the exam. It puts you in a place where you are ready to be the best educator that you can be. It is really the thing that catapults ECE educators to the next level in their career.
LB: How can you tell that a CDA has made a difference in the way an educator teaches young children?
KK: When I walk into an early childhood program, the first thing that I do is listen. I listen to the voices of children and the voices of the adults. I can tell pretty much instantaneously what kind of training and professional development credentials people have. It’s all about the demeanor, professionalism and the tone.
When I hear educators engage with children at a child’s level and talk about investigating, exploring words, language, science, that is not something that you just pull out of a hat. That’s something that you learn and through the process of obtaining your CDA, learning that is embedded into the program. So, when I walk through, you can pretty much pinpoint educators that have gone through the CDA program, some that have not, and some who are in the middle. You see differences in the way people talk, act, and their responses to situations in the classroom. They understand those competencies and they’re living and breathing them in the classroom.
LB: What’s exciting about the field of ECE today?
KK: I think just the fact that you have the potential of changing someone’s life, not even potential – You ARE changing someone’s life when you are in a classroom of children. Whether you work with infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, you have the opportunity to influence their trajectory. Providing children with a high-quality early education gives them the foundation to be successful as they grow and learn and move into kindergarten and beyond.
LB: Can you tell us more about your program? And how did you incorporate the CDA into your program?
KK: The Early Childhood Innovation Center was a dream that I had for a very long time. I knew that we had to do something big and bold. So, we knew that the CDA would play an important role in the development of this program, and it has. I’m really excited to say that we opened our program in 2023 and last year, we celebrated over 200 CDAs at a recognition event. Those are numbers that Delaware has not seen ever. So, it’s very, very exciting. We have a saying that we use: “Insist on Success.” It doesn’t matter what’s going on in a person’s life, we want to make sure that they are able to walk across that stage and obtain that CDA.
LB: That’s a huge emphasis on the CDA! Why did you feel that the CDA was so important to weave into the program versus perhaps just aiming to get folks an associate or a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education?
KK: I thought it was important because it’s the national standard. A CDA is recognized not just in Delaware, but nationally. And I believe that aspect of the CDA was really important for our students, our scholars. It’s important for them to understand that this is not just a statewide certificate, this is a national credential. If they don’t pursue a degree, that’s okay. But if they do, going through our CDA program is going to give them the skills, the abilities and the confidence to be successful.
LB: What do you think is the benefit of renewing the CDA, even if you’ve earned your bachelor’s or associate degree?
KK: Having your CDA shows a commitment to the field. Once you earn this credential, why would you give it up? You want to keep it current. Renewing your CDA is a commitment to the field and a commitment to excellence in early childhood education.
LB: The Council is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the CDA. How do you believe the CDA has benefited the ECE field over the last 50 years?
KK: The CDA uplifts ECE professionals. When someone says I am a CDA, they have a little pep in their step. They are proud to have earned a credential that is focused on teaching young children. I recently attended the Council’s Early Educators Leadership Conference (EELC). When I looked around at the conference and saw all the people gathered, it made me so happy to see like-minded professionals all focused on what’s best for children. At the end of the day, that must be our focus. We have a focus on children, a focus on the professionals who are educating the children, and the benefit is that it’s commitment to this field.
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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.
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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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