Special Interview with Dr. Robert Lee

March 25, 2025

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. Robert Lee, as he discusses how the CDA® and the Council have impacted the ECE professionals and the communities they serve.  

Lauren Brooks, Marketing Manager, Loyalty and Retention, Council for Professional Recognition: 


Dr. Robert Lee

LB: For our audience, please tell us about your journey and current role in the field of early childhood education. 

Dr. Robert Lee: My name is Robert Lee. I’m the Dean of the Sanford College of Education at National University. National University is headquartered in San Diego, although we operate and have programs that are offered across the country. One of the exciting things that happened several years ago was that the National Head Start Association contacted me and said, “You know, we really need to think about a way that we can build a pathway from the CDA to a Bachelor of Arts in early childhood education. Is this something that you’re interested in?” And I said, “Yes, absolutely!” because our students historically have been working adults.  

LB: Why were you so keen to include the CDA as part of your ECE program? What is the importance of high quality ECE? 

RL: Early childhood education is critical for many reasons. But the development of the child and the child’s brain during those critical first years is extraordinarily important for the building block foundation of the child’s future. As we think about cognitive development, social emotional learning development and ways children learn how to self-regulate, being able to do that with a well-trained educator in the classroom really sets the foundation for lifelong learning.  

LB: Who would you encourage to get a CDA ? 

RL: I think anybody who’s interested in working with young children, the CDA is your first step. It’s the most recognized and transferable credential in the United States. So, if you’re going to work in an early learning center or  a Head Start center, the CDA is that pass, if you will, that gets you in there. And because again, of the rigor of the CDA, people know that when you have that credential, you have the appropriate foundational knowledge, skills and abilities to work with young children. 

LB: What do you think is the benefit of having a diverse staff of early childhood educators for children or for staff in general?  

RL: Early learning centers with different perspectives and different cultural backgrounds being brought into the classroom, those traditions, those ideas, those mores all being explored together in a supportive classroom environment can add value to any child’s experience and their learning and development. But particularly the teacher is able to branch out and take the rich histories and cultures of their students and bring that into the curriculum so that everyone can learn from that, as well as pushing it out into the community just helps to build connection and foster understanding within the community. 

LB: You mention how ECE can make an impact beyond the classroom. Have you seen how high quality ECE has changed people’s lives or even how the CDA has changed people’s lives? 

Dr. Lee: High quality early childhood education is a life changer. During the foundational years, birth through 8-years-old, the brain is a sponge. It’s also configuring the synoptic surges and the connections it’s going to make from all the stimuli that is provided. So, as a child’s brain is in that development, it’s critical to present as much information and really engage that child in multiple ways of learning because it really can expand what that child will be capable of doing in the future. 

LB: When do you think is the best time to start getting into this field? 

Dr. Lee: When thinking about a pathway into early childhood education, there are multiple on ramps. A high school student, for example, who’s thinking about becoming an educator one day can easily become a mentor, a tutor, right at the elementary school that they graduated from. Centers are often looking for educators who come from the same community, because it’s important that young children see others who look like them, who come from similar backgrounds. 

LB: The Council is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the CDA and has awarded the CDA to over one million individuals.  How do you believe the CDA has positively impacted the ECE field for the past 50 years? 

Dr. Lee: Celebrating the 50 year anniversary of the CDA has really set the bar in terms of the foundational expectations of folks who are entering the field and working with children. Having that standard set through the credential really allows for the transferability. We’re living in a much more mobile society. The CDA is transferable because it’s recognized across the country. So, you can pick up that CDA in Maryland, and then in California, show up to an early learning center where that CDA is just as valid in California as it was in Maryland. 

LB: Every three years, individuals are encouraged to renew their CDA. What’s the benefit of renewing the CDA even after, for example, you may have earned a bachelor’s or a master’s degree? 

Dr. Lee: It’s important to renew your CDA every three years because there’s always room to grow. I like to say that one of the things that we value at National University is lifelong learning. And in many ways, that’s what the CDA exemplifies in the way that it was established and in the way that it’s built. The competencies are based on the principles of lifelong learning and we have to continue to grow as individuals and as professionals. The CDA gives us that opportunity.  

LB: I have one last question for you. If you could leave advice or if you could give a message to individuals who want to pursue a career in early childhood education, or want to pursue earning a CDA, what would that message be to them? 

Dr. Lee: If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in early learning and you’re thinking about maybe obtaining your CDA as that first step towards working with young children, stay inspired, follow your dreams, stay on track and continue to imagine the possibilities because that’s what it is really. There is so much potential in every child that we work with, but particularly during those early years, the possibilities are only limited by your own imagination. 

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