Young Mother Earns CDA

posted 4/30/24 -- Jonelle Kirby’s young daughter inspired her to embark on a career in early childhood education.

“I chose early childhood education after I had my daughter in 2019 because I wanted to be involved more with her education,” she said. “I wanted to be around kids more. I always worked with kids in the summer as a teenager.”

Kirby, an Early Childhood Services Worker at LCCAA’s Griswold Head Start Center, is one of more than a dozen LCCAA Head Start employees to earn their Child Development Associate credential in recent months. This is her first year at Griswold.

Kirby earned her credential while juggling her job, her rising kindergartener and a newborn, she said.

The CDA is considered the foundational credential for those in the Early Childhood Education profession.