In our employee spotlight series, we highlight some of the wonderful people who make Child Care Services Association (CCSA) a success. Meet Edith Locke, Senior Vice President of Professional Development Initiatives and learn about her perspective of CCSA and how it has changed over the years.
As we celebrate our 50th year, learn about the profound impact of our staff’s commitment to CCSA and everyone we serve.
How long have you worked at Child Care Services Association?
I’ve had the good fortune of being with CCSA for more than thirty years! I joined CCSA in March 1993, in the role of a T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship Counselor. My onboarding with CCSA occurred just as the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Scholarship Program was transitioning from a small two-county pilot to a statewide initiative.
What do you recall about the early days?
I still have vivid memories of the early days when CCSA’s first office was located in Carrboro above the Employment Security Commission, at a time when the organization was a significantly smaller agency than it is today. Some of the organization’s long-term veterans were hired within weeks of one another. So we were able to bond with each other and our camaraderie ultimately influenced much of CCSA’s culture. Looking back on those early days, there was such a feeling of esprit de corps across the agency because we were collectively engaged in cutting-edge work.
How has your job changed over the years?
Throughout my tenure with CCSA, I have been blessed to experience upward mobility. As I mentioned earlier, I joined the organization as one of the first T.E.A.C.H. scholarship counselors and gradually moved out of that role to serve as the program’s statewide outreach coordinator and ultimately went on to be promoted to the position of program director. But the interesting thing that happened for me though was that as I was experiencing upward mobility associated with T.E.A.C.H. North Carolina, the program was also gaining its national presence. Sue Russell, who was CCSA’s president at that time, was also leading the national effort and began engaging me in national-level conversations, thus allowing me to work directly with administrative teams in other states. Fast forward to today, I now serve as the senior vice president for professional development Initiatives, a leadership role that encompasses the T.E.A.C.H. NC Scholarship Program and the National Center.
What has been your biggest achievement/success and CCSA’s greatest accomplishments?
My biggest achievement to date has been related to being able to retain many long-term committed, high-performing staff who have been equally instrumental in the success of T.E.A.C.H. and the National Center. None of my achievements occurred in a vacuum. So as a team, we own the success of the program – including its national expansion.
CCSA has garnered respect statewide and nationally for its innovative ECE Workforce Initiatives.
What would you consider to be the biggest change in CCSA over the years?
CCSA has become much more structured over the course of its history. The agency’s growth has been phenomenal so much so that it outgrew its very humble beginnings from that little office space in Carrboro to now having multiple offices. CCSA’s leadership restructuring also clearly defined divisions within the agency which has brought more visibility and funding opportunities for many of the organization’s programs and services.
What’s your favorite part of the job? What excites you most?
Part of my role on the national level involves providing programmatic technical assistance and support to our state partners. I’m still excited about that because, at my core, I like helping people. I love problem-solving, and I love brainstorming solutions. Similarly, I’m equally excited when a non-T.E.A.C.H. state reaches out to me seeking guidance or asking for help when trying to figure out how to replicate T.E.A.C.H. Those two things aside, what really excites me is when I get a random inquiry from a teacher in North Carolina asking “how do I get enrolled in school? How do I access the scholarship?” This opportunity for engagement takes me back to my original roots at CCSA as a scholarship counselor and is extremely reaffirming that CCSA is making a difference.
What is your biggest hope for the next decade? In what ways do you expect to grow?
That’s an interesting question given where our state is currently in determining its priorities for early care and education. North Carolina used to be at the cutting edge of everything early care and education related, due in part to CCSA’s innovations and leadership. Now, I fear that we’re losing ground. There are so many discussions currently happening that indicate regression for NC’s ECE workforce is on the horizon.
To the extent the NC values and invests in sustaining a highly-qualified, well-compensated workforce, CCSA will always be at the forefront of that movement. My greatest hope for the next decade is for CCSA to really rise in national prominence. That being said, I would love for CCSA to become a household name in North Carolina in particular. I want the organization to advance in terms of our use of technology and fully embrace the digital era.
What is your biggest hope for the next decade? In what ways do you expect to Describe what CCSA means to you, on a personal level, in 15 words or less.grow?
CCSA is my extended family.
“I don’t want to ever stop learning and growing. That“My biggest achievement to date has been related to being able to retain many long-term committed, high-performing staff who have been equally instrumental in the success of T.E.A.C.H. and the National Center. None of my achievements occurred in a vacuum. So as a team, we own the success of the program – including its national expansion.”
is important to me and something that was always instilled in me by my parents. I don’t want to ever rest on my laurels and feel like there’s nothing more to learn.”
-Edith Locke
SVP, Professional Development Initiatives
