Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA)

CHUMNEY APPLAUDS, CHALLENGES CHILD CARE PROFESSIONALS RECEIVING CDA CREDENTIALS THROUGH SOUTHWEST’S TECTA PROGRAM

Child care quality in Memphis took another step upward Saturday, with congratulations from Memphis City Council’s Carol Chumney, former state legislator who spearheaded laws to improve child care in Tennessee.

One hundred twenty one students at Southwest were honored for completing required college courses toward the national Child Development Associate (CDA) credential under the auspices of the Tennessee Childhood Training Alliance. Of those, 65 have been awarded the CDA credential from the Council for Professional Recognition, and many are now in associate and baccalaureate degree programs at Southwest and area four-year colleges and universities.

Fifty six of Saturday’s honorees have completed all course work, including 30 hours orientation and five degree courses in early childhood education, and are in the process of completing their CDA applications. All of the students are currently employed early childhood education programs

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Chumney briefly outlined recent laws that mandate higher standards for child care facilities, then challenged the students to take those standards higher. “We’ve made a good beginning,” she said, “but more is needed, and some facilities are not achieving the standards that, for instance, Southwest has in its child care programs.” She applauded students’ commitment and hard work, and commented that “those responsible for the care of thousands of our smallest, most vulnerable citizens are paid about the same as burger flippers, and that has to change.” She also warned them against attempts, as have been made already, to water down the new laws’ requirements, saying “You may have to go to City Hall, you may have to walk the halls of the Capitol building in Nashville to hold on to what we have, and improve it.”

Other speakers for the program included student Anita McGhee, Dr. Betty Johnson chair of the Southwest Education department; Dr. Ada Shotwell, Dean of Liberal studies and Education; Elizabeth Owens, director of TECTA and Nancy Daugherty, orientation specialist for TECTA.                                            Carol Chumney speaks to TECTA Graduates at Southwest

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