On November 20th, the international community celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Convention on Rights of the Child and the annual U.N. World Children’s Day. The Council for Professional Recognition is proud to participate in a centuries-long legacy of advocacy for child rights— a vision that originated in the 19th century with laws to protect children from work exploitation and which continues through the work of organizations including UNICEF, Save the Children, Head Start, NAEYC and the Council for Professional Recognition.
These organizations are committed to globally securing children’s rights to safety, medical care, freedom from labor, nutritious food and quality early education. As we look forward to future advances in child rights, we can learn from the global history of advocacy for children worldwide.
Library of Congress/ Lewis Hine [Image: A 7-year-old newspaper carrier, or “newsie”]
Prior to the 20th-century, children suffered from lack of labor protection in the United States, often becoming employed in coal mines, canneries, textile factories or as “newsies”. In 1901, Jane Addams founded the Juvenille Protective Association, an organization devoted to advocacy against child labor, exploitation and racism in the Chicago region. A few years later, activists joined together to form the National Child Labor Committee, including photographer Lewis Hine, who photographed child working conditions from 1908 to 1924 in the effort to educate the public about child labor abuses.
Save the Children [Image: Eglantyne Jebb]
One decade later, activist Eglantyne Jebb launched Save the Children in London. Jebb was arrested as she protested Britain’s military blockades, informing passersby in Trafalgar Square that military blockades led to food shortages for children in Vienna and Berlin. Her pamphlet’s headline read: “Our Blockade has caused this – millions of children are starving to death.”
Despite her arrest, Save the Children continued to grow. The organization successfully raised £10,000 for refugee children in 1921.
Save the Children [Image: Children in a child care setting in the 1920s]
In 1924, Jebb drafted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which states that all children have the right to “means for their development; special help in times of need; priority for relief; economic freedom and protection from exploitation; and an upbringing that instils social consciousness and duty.” The League of Nations adopted the declaration in Geneva that year.
NAEYC [Image: Patty Smith Hill]
Throughout the 1920s, early childhood educators began to establish nurseries. In light of the widespread increase in nursery education, Patty Smith Hill organized a group of professionals to provide guidance and quality standards for the growing field. The committee became known as the National Association for Nursery Education (NANE) and published the Minimum Essentials for Nursery Education by 1929.
Associated Press [Image: Perkins stands near President Roosevelt, who signs New Deal in 1933]
In 1938, the work of Frances Perkins, a dedicated labor activist, culminated in President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ratification of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In the early 1930s, Roosevelt appointed labor activist Perkins to become his administration’s federal Secretary of Labor. From 1933 onward, Perkins championed worker and children’s rights in New Deal negotiations. Her work was instrumental to ending child labor through the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
UN Photo/ John Isaac/ UNICEF/UN0279228
In the recovery period following WWII, the United Nations established two critical measures in the history of child rights: the International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in 1946, and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantees children “special care and assistance” and “social protection.”
1959 United Nations Poster ‘Declaration of the Rights of the Child’
During the 1950s, activists voiced that children’s rights should not be limited only to safety and nutrition. They stressed that child rights should include education, health care, play and a supportive educational environment. In 1959, the United Nations General Assembly ratified the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which acknowledges these rights for all children.
Ronn Koeppel/ UNOW Princeton
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, NANE’s membership grew exponentially. In 1964, the organization was reconfigured to form the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
From 1964-1966, the federal government launched the Head Start Program as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. President Johnson appointed Sargent Shriver to organize a committee of child development experts to re-examine the national approach to preschool and child care for children in underserved communities. The panel included Dr. Robert Cooke and Dr. Edward Zigler.
Council for Professional Recognition/ First Award Ceremony for The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™, 1975, Washington, DC.
In the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare created a committee to develop the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential. Passionate early educators united to design the credential, and were awarded funding by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF).
The first CDA was awarded in Washington, DC in 1975 to educator Margaret E. Wright.
Two years later, Head Start launched bilingual and bicultural programs in 21 states.
Council for Professional Recognition/ Edward Zigler, assisted by Marilyn M. Smith, presents the first CDA Credential to Margaret E. Wright on July 24, 1975, in Washington, DC.
In 1985, ACYF worked alongside NAEYC to establish an organization to administer the Child Development Associate. The Council for Professional Recognition was born from this combined effort, and began administering the credential in September 1985.
UN Photo/Milton Grant (11/20/1989, New York, NY)
The United Nations continued their dedication to child rights through adopting the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, a groundbreaking treaty establishing children’s social, cultural, political, economic and civil rights.
Two years after the Convention, leaders from organizations including UNICEF, Save the Children and Defence for Children International met to establish a program for advancing child rights, leading to the 1995 creation of the Child Rights International Network (CRIN).
Within the same year, the United States government awarded the first Early Head Start grants. The government awarded Head Start’s first full-day and full-year grants 1998.
Today, child rights organizations continue to expand their work in communities worldwide. To date, the Council for Professional Recognition has issued over 800,000 Child Development Associate credentials— increasing access for children to receive quality education in adherence to CDA Competency Standards and Functional Areas during the most formative years of child development. The Council is dedicated to advancing child rights through our commitment to safe, equitable and quality child care for children age birth to five across the globe.
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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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