The 2020 International Child Development Summit and 45th Anniversary Celebration of the Child Development Associate (CDA®) Certificate Came to a Successful Conclusion
On the afternoon of December 17, 2020, the International Child Development Summit and the 45th Anniversary Celebration of the International Child Development Associate (CDA®) Certificate was held at the Kerry Hotel in Beijing. Top experts, scholars, teachers and over a hundred attendees including CDA students attended the forum. The forum's in-depth analysis of the industry also drew more than 175 thousand people to watch the live broadcast online.
The International Child Development Summit and the 45th Anniversary Ceremony of International Child Development Associate (CDA®) Professional Certification was hosted by the Council for Professional Recognition (CPR), the CDA Council and ChildWise. The summit aimed to build an international standard for education philosophy, as well as a theoretical education foundation based around childhood development. At its core, the philosophy is meant to empower early childhood educators, focusing on programs that promote children’s healthy development, and building a new system for early childhood education in China. Thomas GEHL, President of ChildWise, said in his opening speech that Chinese millennial parents have responded to the call from the government and started raising second children. China's emphasis on and investment in high-quality education is second to none in the world. ChildWise, as the only official partner to practice CDA training in China, has introduced and implemented CDA-training in China in response to the current demand. CDA is also very pleased to provide top-level services to the largest education market in the world at this critical moment.
Opening speech by Thomas Gehl, President of ChildWise.
Dr. Calvin MOORE, Jr., CEO of the American CDA Council, Jing Zhao CESARONE founder of ChildWise, and Dr. Bonnie BOTEL-SHEPPARD, CEO of the Penn Literacy Network (PLN) of the Graduate School of Education at UPenn – sends out congratulations on the opening of the event.
Jing Zhao Cesarone, founder of ChildWise.
"Education rejuvenates the country. When education is strong, the country is strong." Cesarone said said that education at the age of 0-6 is essential to a child's life. Providing children with a safe and healthy environment, a scientific and standardized education system, an effective and loving family, and fulfilling the needs of children's physical and mental development will give the foundation for children's lifelong success and happiness. Cesarone was very pleased to see that CDA's scientific and systematic standardized training system will promote the professionalization and standardization of China's early childhood care industry.
Today, ChildWise has become the only partner in China for the PLN project of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and has successfully carried out CDA credit courses, STEAM teacher training courses, as well as the "0-6 Years Old Integrated Nursery Education Demonstration" project. Thomas Gehl, on behalf of ChildWise, introduced the value and status of the cooperative project of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education to the participants, and acted as the authorized representative of the PLN. The chairman of Aiers International Education Group, Wang Hui, signed Asia's first PLN cooperation agreement for the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
Dr. Carol Brunson DAY, founding CEO of the CDA Council and former Chairman of NAEYC.
Dr. Carol Brunson Day, the founding CEO of the CDA Council and the former chairman of NAEYC, who has contributed to the promotion of the CDA certificate for 20 years, reviewed CDA History and achievements since 1975. She pointed out that the CDA program is a national project, which demonstrates the ability to provide career development paths for parents of young children and educators across the country. In addition, the program is ethnically diverse, culturally diverse, and socioeconomically diverse. Day concluded saying, she looks forward to a brighter future for CDA.
Dr. Valora WASHINGTON, former CEO of the CDA Council, affirmed that ChildWise has completed the high-efficiency training of about 650 early childhood educators in only 3-4 years. She also gave six reasons for celebrating the 45th anniversary of the CDA Certificate: 1. The shared CDA system has recognized the responsibilities of early educators for 45 years; 2. The CDA has expanded people’s vision in the field of early childhood education; 3. The CDA has been successful in the areas of diversity, multilingualism and localization; 4. The CDA has demonstrated the professionalism and professional dignity of early childhood educators; 5. The CDA has given opportunities to combine theory and practice; 6. The CDA has expanded the scope of learning.
The keynote speech, "International Child Development and CDA," given by Liu Yanying, President of the International Early Education Institute (IEEI), attracted the attention of attendees. Based on examples, she explained the impact of caring for children and scientific parenting. She discussed problems facing children at present, and compared the current situation of child development across different countries.
Dr. Melissa WILLIAMSON, a family engagement expert certified by the Harvard University School of Education, introduced the CDA system to the guests. As a certified course instructor in China, she pointed out that early childhood educators need to understand that learning is not limited to the classroom, but extends into homelife. ChildWise has a full range of solutions to guide learners on how to establish this connection. Good home-school cooperation can provide children with a sense of security and is the best way to raise children.
ChildWise Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Changmei LI said that building a new system for the healthy development of early childhood education in China based on the CDA system is top priority for ChildWise. With an open mind, ChildWise hopes to build this system and, with the help of other entities, further develop CDA in China.
Changmei Li, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of ChildWise
The first three years of a child’s life is a crucial stage of early childhood development. These days, education methods for children ages 0-3 are constantly changing. Zhang HUI, Vice President of the International Early Education Institute, and Toya, the founder of the Maternal and Child Business Research Institute/Qubao.com, jointly released the "2020-2021 Early Childhood Education Global Research Report for Children Ages 0-3" and signed a strategic cooperation agreement.
Zhang Hui, Vice President of the International Early Education Institute
Zhang Hui, Vice President of the International Early Education Institute, and Toya, founder of the Maternal and Child Business Research Institute/Qubao.com, sign a strategic cooperation agreement
Zhang HUA, the founder of the Childcare Circle, shared the operation model of China's early childcare industry institutions and analysis of the industry’s development trend, using the Childcare Circle as an example. He pointed out that childcare is a reproducible service, and there will be more opportunities for subdivided, professional, scientific and safe childcare services.
Zhang Hua, founder of Childcare Circle, delivered a keynote speech.
Cao DEWEN, chairman of Guangzhou Tomorrow Star Education Group, reviewed the process of becoming acquainted with CDA and further cooperation. He said that the implementation of a concept should start with a belief. For this reason, he chose to collaborate with ChildWise and conduct CDA training. He praised the dedication and professionalism of the CDA teachers, and also expressed his expectations for the cooperation between the two organizations in the future.
Cao Dewen, Chairman of Guangzhou Tomorrow Star Education Group, delivered a speech.
Jiang YUNFAN, Senior Academic R&D Manager at Airs International Education Group, discussed a case study of international child development practices. In 2018, Airs took on the CDA system, which affected every aspect of the teachers' daily life in just two years. She said that she wants to be an explorer of American education and hopes to bring CDA training to more people.
Jiang Yunfan, Senior Academic R&D Manager at Airs International Education Group, delivered a speech.
The roundtable session was presided over by Jin RUOPENG, partner of Xiaoyutang/Associate Editor of Tuoyu Research. He raised questions: “CDA is a national certificate training program based on China’s preschool education system. How do you combine theory with practice?"
Chen CHONG, a senior researcher at Hailiang Children’s Development Research Institute, said that the changes CDA has brought to Hailiang teachers are surprising. Teachers have become actively concerned about family needs and have strengthened home-school communication and cooperation. Wu QIONG, director of Wuyi International Education and Teaching, said, “The school pays attention to teachers with international education concepts, so the learning process of the CDA system is relatively smooth. At the end of weekly courses, discussions are conducted around the learning content and the possibility of analysis and optimization.” Ivy Education Group’s (Daystar Bilingual School Kindergarten) Spring Li SHU, the principal of the school district’s kindergarten department, said that although he has 20 years of educational experience, the kindergarten has always lacked a suitable combination of theory and practice. The CDA system makes teachers more confident, and children are positively impacted by the confident teachers.
From left: Chen Chong, Wu Qiong, Li Shu, Jin Ruopeng
After the roundtable meeting, Thomas Gehl awarded the first batch of CDA International Certification Agencies in China. Among them, Airs International Education Group and Shanghai Hongqiao International School for Children of Foreign Personnel won the CDA international certification training base and offline examination center. Hailiang Child Development Research Institute, Wuyi International Education, and Ivy Education Group (Venus Bilingual School Kindergarten) were awarded the CDA International Certification Practice Base.
Airs International Education Group
CDA Certificate training base and offline test center awarded
Hailiang Children's Development Institute awarded CDA International Certification Practice Base
Wuyi International Education awarded CDA International Certification Practice Base
Ivy Education Group awarded CDA International Certification Practice Base;
Guangzhou Tomorrow Star awarded CDA Certificate 0-6 integrated nursery education demonstration
Since ChildWise became the only official partner to practice CDA training in China, it has successfully attracted nearly a thousand students to study Chinese, English or bilingual CDA courses. Hundreds of students have successfully obtained the CDA certificate and related course certifications. After recommendation and screening, a total of 19 outstanding students stood out and won the Outstanding Student Medal from ChildWise. Including: 10 outstanding students in the 120-hour Chinese and English course, 6 outstanding students in International Childcare, 1 outstanding student in the Penn CDA course, 1 outstanding student in the American Seminar, and 1 outstanding student in Professional Development Day Training.
On the same day, the conference sponsor and organizer jointly announces the launch of the "2021 Female Entrepreneurship and Career Development Competition.”
Finally, Kuang TIANFENG, Executive Director of ChildWise, announced the establishment of the CDA Alumni Association in Greater China, hoping to provide students with more exchange opportunities, continue to empower their professional education career, and create a professional home for the students.
Li JIA, a lecturer at the School of Continuing Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University, deliveres a speech on the 45th anniversary of CDA.
During the conference, many companies announced their strategic cooperation, including the International Early Education Institute and the Maternal and Child Business Research Institute announcing their strategic cooperation. ChildWise and the Childcare Circle reached a strategic agreement on the smart nursery education classroom project. ChildWise and Zinee Role Model Mother X Zinee Think Tank announced a strategic cooperation on parent training and CDA principal training. ChildWise and Wisdom Tree announced a strategic cooperation on the park-in-the-park project. ChildWise and Xiaoyu Tang announced a brand strategic cooperation. ChildWise and Shanghai Chengbei Shimeng Education Technology Co., Ltd. announced a strategic cooperation on the 0-6 nursery and kindergarten overall solution and the CDA curriculum. In addition, Airs Kindergarten, a subsidiary of Airs International Education Group, was selected as the first PLN cooperative park in Asia for the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
