By Lauren Brooks, Council for Professional Recognition

The recent Early Educators Leadership Conference (EELC) was an opportunity for early childhood educator leaders to network and learn from one another. The Council for Professional Recognition organized the conference and 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 (CDA). CDA is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education, and it is a key steppingstone on the path of career advancement in the sector. The CDA is based on a core set of competency standards that guide early childhood professionals toward becoming qualified educators of young children. The Council works to ensure that the nationally transferable CDA is a credible and valid credential, recognized by the profession as a vital part of professional development.

Lauren Brooks with the Council interviewed Dr. Kim Krzanowski, executive director of the Early Childhood Innovation Center at Delaware State University. They discussed the impact of the CDA and the Council on early childhood educators and the communities they serve.

Lauren: Please tell us about your journey and current role in the field of early childhood education.

Dr. Kim Krzanowski: 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.

Lauren: Why should people care about early childhood education?

Dr. Krzanowski: 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, and 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.

Lauren: How does having a Child Development Associate credential allow early childhood educators to provide a quality start for young children?

Dr. Krzanowski: 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.

Lauren: Who do you encourage to earn a CDA?

Dr. Krzanowski: 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. CDA allows you to think about the competencies, practices, and best practices that you are learning while you’re completing your portfolio, 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 careers.

Lauren: How can you tell that a CDA has made a difference in the way an educator teaches young children?

Dr. Krzanowski: 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 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, and 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 who have gone through the CDA program, some who 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 their living and breathe them in the classroom.

Lauren: What’s exciting about ECE today?

Dr. Krzanowski: I think just about the fact that you have the potential to change someone’s life, not even potentially, you ARE changing someone’s life when you are in a classroom of children. Whether you work with infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, you can 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.

Lauren: 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 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 can walk across that stage and obtain that CDA.

Lauren: 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’s or a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education?

Dr. Krzanowski: I believed it was important because it’s the national standard. A CDA is recognized not just in Delaware, but nationally. And I believe that the aspect of the CDA was important for our students, our scholars. They need 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.

Lauren: What do you think is the benefit of renewing the CDA, even if you’ve earned your bachelor’s or associate degree?

Dr. Krzanowski: 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.

Lauren: 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?

Dr. Krzanowski: 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. When I looked around at the EELC 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 committed to this field.

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