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About the Authors
Dr. Valora Washington is the chief operating officer of the Council for Professional Recognition and the Founder of the CAYL Institute. She has served on numerous federal, state, and local boards or commissions and coauthored over 50 publications. She is a certified association executive with the American Society of Association Executives™.
Brenda Gadson is owner/operator of BMG Consulting. She specializes in working with community-based nonprofits, providing a variety of activities designed to support, sustain, and strengthen them. She holds a MPA from Clark University and an undergraduate degree from Tufts University. Married for 41 years, she is a mother of two children and grandmother of one.
Kathryn Amel, a graduate of Boston University, has extensive experience in the co-creation, development, and implementation of high-quality events, networking meetings, and technical assistance opportunities for early educators. She is passionate about children, animals, the environment, and enjoys yoga, rollerblading, and tea.
About The CAYL Institute
The CAYL Institute (Community Advocates for Young Learners) was founded in 2004 to engage educators and communities to become architects of change. For the past decade, CAYL has been engaged in constructing a shared purpose, knowledge base and sense of responsibility amongst educators and community leaders. CAYL has a proven track record of success in the realm of professional development for educators and community leaders that and introduces news way of thinking about the needs of young learners, programs, and communities. CAYL has a demonstrated history of success building intentional community, extending knowledge, identifying strategic areas of change, and creating sustained impact through development of action oriented change agents.
What We Do
• We equip leaders in early care and education to be architects of change for all children.
• We bring people together to make these changes a reality.
• We advocate for public policies increasing high quality outcomes for all children.
• We focus on issues that are timely, relevant, and actionable.
Who We Are
Vision: A nation where the right to high quality early care and education is embedded in public policy, professional practice, and parental engagement.
Mission: Our purpose is to organize, equip and empower people to create change on behalf of children.
Core Principles
• Representative Leadership: Involving people in decisions that affect them.
• Commitment to Diversity: Ensuring all voices are heard and bridging multiple perspectives.
• Focused on Solutions: Embracing responsibility to create sustainable change.
• Impact and Innovation: Taking action that is timely, relevant and immediately actionable.
• Building and Sharing Knowledge: Creating and disseminating strategic information to be understood and used by everyone
Visit The CAYL Institute online at www.CAYL.org