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Supporting Early Childhood Educators Helps the Entire Community

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Educators with credentials produce better outcomes for children, according to the many studies that Usma cites. And she provides recommendations that can help lower the roadblocks early childhood teachers face to earning credentials.

Published

2 years ago

August 26, 2024

Oakland Post

Council for Professional Recognition

The Council for Professional Recognition, the nonprofit organization that supports early childhood education professionals and administers the Child Development Associate^® (CDA) credential, is proud to highlight new insights. Usma Mohamed, the Council’s vice president of brand experience and marketing, recently gave these educators a chance to share their views in her doctoral dissertation: Uncertified Early Childhood Education (ECE) Teacher Perceptions of ECE Certifications: A Qualitative Narrative Inquiry Study. Usma’s study makes a strong contribution as our country continues to face a shortage of qualified early childhood teachers. And it’s an issue that has a major impact on children, as Usma points out. Teachers with specialized ECE training are better equipped to help children learn at the most formative stage in life, and the learning scaffolding these teachers provide makes a long-term impact.

But it’s another story in low-income communities like the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where Usma conducted her research in the field. The region has lower-quality early learning programs than wealthier parts of the state. And it isn’t unique. Texas has met only four out of ten quality benchmarks for early childhood education, as defined by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). And the shortfall is especially acute when it comes to assistant teachers. In Texas, as in other states, the qualifications for assistant teachers do not meet NIEER recommended criteria like holding a Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential or similar certification.

The lack of qualified assistant educators or teachers is a cause for concern, as Usma points out, since assistant teachers play a vital role in early learning settings, often sharing classroom responsibilities with lead teachers. Unqualified assistant teachers are especially common in areas, like the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which have large minority populations, high poverty rates, and lower per-capita incomes. Areas like the Lower Rio Grande Valley also have lower-quality early learning programs than wealthier parts of the state, and that’s a roadblock as the region strives to improve early learning programs, prepare children for success, and ultimately cut poverty levels down. Granted, the region is expanding access to early learning programs, but it struggles to raise their quality due to the shortage of certified teachers.

Usma explored the reasons for this roadblock through in-depth interviews with seven uncertified teachers at a preschool in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. They conveyed their thoughts by sharing their lived experiences to uncover insights to support the following questions: What perceptions do uncertified ECE teachers have toward certification training? What are uncertified teachers’ perceptions regarding the degree to which ECE certification would or would not add to their knowledge and skills? And how do uncertified teachers perceive their current ability to teach children effectively?

The stories that teachers shared revealed both personal and professional factors that deterred the teachers from pursuing credentials such as the CDA. The roadblocks to certification, as Usma learned, include time constraints, the perceived difficulty of certification, lack of awareness of credentials, and such high confidence in their teaching skills that teachers didn’t feel they needed training. In addition, strong support from colleagues and the importance of their family duties made teachers question the merits of pursuing ECE credentials. Yet they did not question the value of their profession. The stories they shared revealed the passion, pride, and sense of commitment they brought to serving young children well.

Some teachers even acknowledged that earning an ECE credential or certification would assist them in their work. And it is important for education leaders to also acknowledge the factors that can prevent many early childhood teachers from pursuing this goal. Understanding the context of their daily life and perceptions of specialized training is crucial for boosting the number of credentialed early childhood teachers. And it’s especially urgent for underserved communities both in Texas and beyond.

That will be a challenge for educators and for those who support them. Still, the effort is worthwhile. Educators with credentials produce better outcomes for children, according to the many studies that Usma cites. And she provides recommendations that can help lower the roadblocks early childhood teachers face to earning credentials. For example, states and localities can build a more qualified workforce by using block grants and funding to help educators earn an ECE certification or credential. Center directors can urge teachers to make credentials a priority and show them how it would enhance their teaching skills. Accreditation organizations can provide detailed rationales for the importance of teacher certification. Credentialing organizations can tailor their outreach to highlight specific benefits for centers, teachers, and students.

Future studies should explore incentives for uncertified teachers to pursue certification nationwide. These efforts should take account of teachers’ real-life challenges and stories, like the ones that Usma heard. Her insights contribute to an understanding of why more teachers don’t earn credentials, ways to help them succeed in doing so, and why it matters so much. Granted, early childhood teachers contend with other commitments and face constraints on their time. But Usma urges policymakers and education leaders to find ways to help more teachers earn credentials for the sake of those they serve. Qualified early childhood teachers, as she points out, have the skills to help young children someday tell success stories of their own.

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#NNPA BlackPress

Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

Published

1 week ago

March 2, 2026

Oakland Post

By First Five Years Fund

New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

The national survey was conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund from January 13–18, 2026.

Key findings include:

• Parents need help: 80% of voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford child care is either in a state of crisis or a major problem.

• This is an affordability issue: 82% believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families — including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

• And there continues to be strong support (62%) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a federal program that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families to afford safe, quality care for their children while parents work or go to school, including a majority of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 72% of Democrats.

• Support for funding child care programs remains strong: 75% believe child care funding should be increased or kept at current levels — including 75% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars, including a majority of Republicans, three-quarters of Independents, and nine in ten Democrats.

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said, “Voters across the country are sending a clear message: federal child care and early learning programs work. These investments help parents stay in the workforce, strengthen families, and support healthy child development. They have also long had strong bipartisan support in Congress. At a time when affordability is top of mind for families, continued federal funding is essential to ensure child care remains accessible and within reach.”

First Five Years Fund works to protect, prioritize, and build bipartisan support for quality child care and early learning programs at the federal level. Reliable, affordable, and high-quality early learning and child care can be transformative, not only enhancing a child’s prospects for a brighter future but also bolstering working parents and fostering economic stability nationwide.

We work with Congress and the Administration to identify federal solutions that work for families with young children, as well as states and communities. We work with policymakers to identify ways to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs for children. And we collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies. http://www.ffyf.org

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#NNPA BlackPress

Trump’s MAGA Allies are Creating Executive Order Plan to Steal the 2026 Midterms

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

Published

1 week ago

February 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

A group of MAGA pro-Trump activists, who say they are working in coordination with the White House, are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would claim without evidence that China interfered with the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Since Trump lost to Biden in 2020, he has repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” without evidence. The report of a group of “Trump allies” preparing an executive order to give Trump power over elections was first reported by The Washington Post.

The lies around the right-wing campaign that pushed falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen was trafficked through right-wing media, particularly Fox News. Fox News was then sued for defamation for the claims by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox lost the case and had to settle for the largest defamation amount on record of $787.5 million in April 2023.

The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

The story in The Washington Post arrives as Trump increasingly signals that he may take actions that would alter the result of the 2026 midterms. The Republicans are widely expected to lose as their approval ratings plummet as a result of a failing economy under Trump. Over 50 members of Congress have announced they will retire this year and not return in 2027.

The Trump Department of Justice, which now has a large image of Trump on the side of it, “sued five new states Thursday [Feb. 26, 2026] demanding access to their unredacted voter rolls — escalating a campaign that has been rejected by multiple federal courts and faces resistance from Republican-led states as well,” according to Democracy Docket, a group that works to protect voting rights.

Trump claimed back in late 2020, the last year of his first term, that he had the authority to issue an executive order related to mail-in voting for the 2020 elections — which he would then lose. But the Constitution states that control of elections lies with the states. As the GOP works to place hurdles in front of voting, Democrats worked to make voting easier.

In March 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to expand voting access as part of the Biden Administration’s effort “to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections.”

Trump’s focus is clearly on altering the November 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s polling numbers and the elections and special elections that have taken place around the U.S. over the last year clearly indicate that Republicans are about to be hit by a blue wave of Democratic victories.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

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PRESS ROOM: NBA Hall of Fame Nominee Terry Cummings Joins 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to Launch Victory & Values Initiative

NNPA NEWSWIRE — NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 27, 2026

admin

Cummings becomes an honorary member, joining other role model sports stars

NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings has officially become an honorary member of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County, marking a powerful new chapter for the 100 Black Men and youth development across the region.

Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th. The moment signified more than membership — it marked the launch of the organization’s transformative new platform, the Victory & Values Initiative.

The Victory & Values Initiative is a groundbreaking youth development program designed to empower elementary and middle school students through a dynamic blend of sports, mentorship, and STEM exposure. The initiative focuses on building health, discipline, character, leadership, and access to opportunity — creating pathways for long-term academic and personal success.

“This is about more than sports,” said Cummings during the ceremony. “It’s about using the platform of athletics to teach life lessons, create access, and build the next generation of leaders.”

The induction ceremony also featured notable guests including NASCAR’s newest Star Driver, Lavar Scott and NASCAR Director of Athletic Performance, Phil Horton, who joined Cummings for a powerful Victory & Values Town Hall discussion. The Town Hall was moderated by renowned Sports Emcee John Hollins and focused on leadership, resilience, discipline, and the importance of mentorship in shaping young lives.

A “Day at NASCAR” for 75+ Youth

Cummings wasted no time getting to work. On his first full day as an honorary member, he joined his new brothers of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to host a “Day at NASCAR,” escorting more than 75 youth to a once-in-a-lifetime experience at EchoPark Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).

The youth participants received behind-the-scenes access including: an exclusive tour of Pit Row, access to the Garage Area and exploration of the interactive Fan Zone.

The experience culminated with a surprise meet-and-greet and Q&A session with NASCAR Superstar Bubba Wallace, who shared insights on perseverance, preparation, and breaking barriers in professional sports.

The day served as a living example of the ‘Victory & Values’ Initiative in action — exposing youth to new industries, expanding their vision for the future, and connecting them directly with high- level mentors and role models.

Building Leaders Through Access and Mentorship

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb County – a chapter of the largest, national mentoring organization in the county – continues to expand its footprint with programs focused on academic excellence, economic empowerment, leadership development, and health & wellness.

The launch of ‘Victory & Values’ represents a strategic expansion of the organization’s impact

intentionally integrating athletics and STEM to engage youth at an early age while reinforcing core principles such as integrity, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance.

“Our mission has always been to mentor the next generation,” said Vaughn Irons, President-Elect of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County. “With Terry Cummings joining the brotherhood, along with partners in NASCAR and professional sports, we are creating unprecedented access and exposure for our youth. Victory & Values is about turning inspiration into structured opportunity.”

By connecting elementary and middle school students to professional athletes, executives, STEM professionals, and community leaders, the initiative aims to:

Increase youth exposure to careers in sports business, engineering, and performance science
Strengthen mentorship pipelines
Promote physical wellness and mental resilience
Build character-driven leadership at an early age

Open Invitation to Youth and Families

All youth are invited to participate in the Victory & Values Initiative, along with the other countless, impactful programs offered by the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County.

Parents and guardians seeking mentorship, leadership development, academic enrichment, and transformative exposure opportunities for their children are encouraged to connect with the organization.

As NBA Legend Terry Cummings’ induction demonstrates, Victory & Values is more than a program — it is a movement designed to build champions in life, not just in sports.

For more information about the Victory & Values Initiative or to enroll a student, contact: 100 Black Men of DeKalb County at Phone at 404.241.1338, info@100bmod.org or Tee Foxx at 404.791.6525,