11/26/08 - Asst. teachers earn coveted credential in early childhood

Date: November 26, 2008
Contact: Seth Seymour
423-648-1709
seth.seymour@siskin.org

Assistant teachers earn coveted credential in early childhood profession

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Six assistant teachers at Siskin Children’s Institute have been awarded the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential for their work with children ages 6 weeks to 6 years.

The six teaching partners, all of whom work at the Siskin Early Learning Center-Downtown, recently received the credential from the Council for Professional Recognition, which represents the early childhood profession. Together, the assistant teachers have more than 80 years of combined teaching experience at the Institute:
-Natasha Butler, 10 years;
-Valentina Duckett, 22 years;
-Tannie Hardin, 16 years;
-Carolyn Jackson, 3 years;
-LaVern Rawlings, 18 years; and
-Regina Seals, 16 years.

The CDA is the only major national effort to improve child care by evaluating and recognizing the skills of individuals providing care. The credential is awarded to those who meet the specific needs of children and work with parents and other adults to nurture children’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth in a child development framework.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), which is the leading accrediting organization of early childhood education programs, uses the CDA credential as a requirement for programs to become NAEYC accredited. The Institute, which operates two early learning centers in Chattanooga, now has 11 employees with CDA credentials.

“Our children and their families benefit from their achievement,” said Dan Mattingly, the Institute’s director of human resources. “Not many people have this credential, so the Institute is fortunate to have several employees who have passed such stringent requirements to receive this honor.”

Additional Institute employees are currently in the process of earning their CDA credential.

About Siskin Children’s Institute
Since 1950, Siskin Children's Institute has served children with special needs, such as autism, developmental delays and Down syndrome. The Institute achieves its mission in a comprehensive way: a quality preschool education where children with disabilities learn together with typically developing children; family support and community outreach programs; innovative research focusing on early childhood development and special education; and in 2009, developmental and behavioral pediatric health care. For more information about Siskin Children’s Institute, log on to www.siskin.org.

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