Mandy Welsh is a preschool teacher at the Kingswood Christian Preschool in Crozet, Virginia. Prior to her time at Kingswood, Mandy gained experience in sales and administrative roles before transitioning to working in the early child care sector.
In April of 2022, Mandy began participating in ChildSavers Child Development Associate (CDA) Credentialing program, part of our Child Development Services program. Considering her relatively recent professional shift to early child care, Mandy was a prime candidate for our CDA credentialing program, which provided critical knowledge, tools, and resources to enhance her daily work caring for children. In her own words, “I have enjoyed every minute of the CDA program so far. It has equipped me with several scenarios that help me in my classroom every day and with different age groups.”
In addition to the knowledge and skills gained through this program, participants have the opportunity to connect with other early care providers and build a network of co-learning and mutual support. These group discussions within the CDA program allowed Mandy and other providers to connect with one another and share different perspectives on their work.
The CDA program has been truly transformational for Mandy, both personally and professionally: “I started the year assisting the 2-day classes, and I have been promoted using the tools and lessons so far from the CDA program.” Mandy revealed that her confidence grew leaps and bounds during the CDA program, resulting in a promotion.
Now Mandy serves as a lead teacher of a 3-day class AND 2-day class. “A year ago I don’t think I could have imagined doing that,” Mandy share about the experience, “[our instructor] is such a wonderful teacher and provides amazing input and stories from her experiences that allow us to take from them and use them in our classrooms.”
By connecting with other providers and gaining hands on skills and knowledge she can take back to her workplace, Mandy has had the opportunity to blossom professionally, advance her career in early child care, and foster a safe, supportive environment for the children she works with each day.
For information on our CDA Program and how to get started, visit our page to learn more.
