COE News

CTC Approves PK-3 Early Childhood Education Teaching Credential at CSUDH

Classes for the Credential Program will begin Spring 2025

(Carson, CA - Sept, 2024) - To combat rising teacher shortages, the CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) has approved a new teaching credential at CSUDH, which has now been accredited to offer it for educators to teach children in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade. The program prepares teachers to work in urban schools with multicultural and multilingual students with diverse needs. Approval of the new California PK-3 Early Child Education (ECE) Specialist Instruction represents a significant advancement in the university’s approach to early childhood education.

“The new credential will allow us to effectively train students who want to support younger children in developmentally appropriate ways in classrooms,” says Jessica Pandya, Dean for the College of Education.

“We’re even more excited about our program’s child-centered, culturally relevant approach to teaching young children, and the funding we have to support credential candidates as part of our Toros Teach L.A. (TTLA) Initiative.”

This credential acknowledges the critical importance of the early years in a child’s development. It aims to provide educators with specialized preparation training and mentorship through the College of Education (COE) and College of Health, Human Services and Nursing (CHHSN).

“In response to the growing demand for the PK-3 ECE Credential, the Department of Child Development within CHHSN has restructured its existing degree to establish the Early Development and Learning (EDL) concentration. This EDL pathway enables students to efficiently complete both a BS in Child Development and the PK-3 Credential. With interest and enrollment in the EDL pathway rapidly increasing, we are well-positioned to address the teacher shortage in the region through collaboration with the College of Education,” says Dr. Mi-Sook Kim, Dean for the College of Health, Human Services and Nursing.

The PK-3 ECE Credential program is three semesters (full time; it can be done part time over more semesters) with field experience and student teaching requirements in Los Angeles area public schools. California’s phase-in of universal transitional kindergarten has triggered the unprecedented need to expand the early teaching-learning workforce in the state. The state anticipates requiring between 12,000 and 15,000 new teachers by 2025-26 to serve our youngest learners.

Dr. Jenny Chiappe, the Co-Director of the Toros Teach L.A. (TTLA) ECE Initiative and Associate Professor of the Department of Special Education, says the program is designed to provide full access to working Early Childhood Education professionals, with student teaching and intern pathways. The program was developed across departments in the COE Child Development in CHHSN, and community partners.

“The PK-3 credential program will provide new teachers the opportunity to learn and implement developmentally appropriate practices for young children and students across diverse settings,” Chiappe says.

The credential requires child development and early childhood education coursework and clinical practice specific to the development of a young child. The leaders of this new ECE credential collectively emphasized, teachers emerging from our PK-3 credential programs will be equipped not only to foster young children’s cognitive development but also nurture their social and emotional skills – skills that are critical for academic success, building relationships, and overall well-being.

“A unique feature of the PK-3 Credential is that the subject matter is child development. That means the students entering this credential will have a strong foundation in children’s development across developmental domains as well as how different contexts such as culture, poverty, trauma, and immigration play a role in their development including how they learn,” says Dr. Kimberley Radmacher, Co-Director for Toros Teach L.A. and Associate Professor for the Child Development Department.

CSUDH is excited about this pivotal step the State of California has taken in authorizing the PK-3 Credential. This specialized workforce of teachers will reflect the students they serve and will be empowered to make a lasting impact on our state's children, families, and communities.

“With programs prioritizing play-based, integrated curriculum that is inclusive and tailored to the developmental needs of each child, we have the potential to enhance the education and lives of our youngest learners who enter transitional kindergarten classrooms and set them on a trajectory for livelong success,” Radmacher says.

Those interested in more general information, info sessions and learning how to earn the PK-3 teaching credential are encouraged to visit csudh.edu/pk3-ece