Summary of Packard-CSU Ed.D. Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Report
Title: Reforming California’s Teacher Preparation Pathway for the Field of Early Care and
Education
Ed.D. Candidates: Lygia Stebbing and Patricia Sullivan, San Francisco State University
Research Question(s):
This paper describes the structural and political factors affecting early childhood education (ECE)
certification and the teacher credentialing system in California, drawing upon lessons learned from New
Jersey and Oklahoma.
Conceptual Framework and/or Guiding Purpose of the Study
To address the need for developing teacher preparation pathways that can allow California to increase
certification requirements for the State’s early childhood workforce, this paper describes the structural and
political factors affecting early childhood certification and the teacher credentialing system. While a variety
of conversations in California address this topic, they are sometimes disjointed and duplicative. The often
found disconnect between early care and education and the K-12 system exacerbates this situation.
Adding to the complexity, a sizable number of early care and education groups are working to address
similar issues and may have limited communication or agreement. This paper seeks to highlight the
tensions that exist in the system, while detailing the major initiatives currently underway in the state, and
offering recommendations for improving the educational preparation of the early childhood workforce.
Relevant Theoretical and Empirical Literature:
The growing investment in early childhood initiatives has resulted in increasing research on the link
between high quality early childhood programs and student achievement (Bueno, 2010; Rose, 2010;
Shonkoff, 2000). Research in early childhood demonstrates that higher levels of teacher education
correlate with better outcomes for children (Barnett, 2007; Bueno, 2010; Rose, 2010). At the same time,
the content of the coursework early childhood teachers have taken matters. Specifically, teachers who
have a deep understanding of child development and early childhood education are more effective at
improving children’s academic and social skills than teachers with less education (Barnett, 2004;
Whitebook, 2003).
Increasing the qualifications of ECE teachers may improve student outcomes. Yet adapting a teacher
training model that closely resembles elementary school teacher preparation would likely mean that the
early childhood workforce would start to mirror the lack of diversity found in the public school teacher
workforce and would likely contribute to replicating cultural marginalization embedded within the public
school system, especially for African-American and Latino students (Chang, 2009; Whitebook, Kipnis &
Bellum, 2008).
Wages in ECE also remain a problem for a policy that would markedly increase teacher qualifications. As
the National Research Council states, “There is a serious mismatch between the preparation (and
compensation) of the average early childhood professional and the growing expectations of parents and
policy makers” (2001, p. 261). The recent average hourly wage for a preschool teacher was $14.37 and
$11.14 for childcare workers (American Federation of Teachers, 2008, www.aft.org). With limited
incentives for degree attainment, many ECE teachers use the California Child Development Matrix to
guide them in the completion of early childhood education units as a career path defined by the levels of
the Child Development Permit (Whitebook et al., 2005). In following the Child Development Matrix, many
ECE professionals do not seek a degree, as even earning an Associate’s degree is optional. Further,
those with an Associate’s degree in ECE are not always transfer-ready to seek a Bachelor’s degree.
Further, very few Multiple Subject Credential holders, which is a post-BA credential in California, work in
ECE settings because of the wage differential between ECE and K-12 settings.
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Summary of Packard-CSU Ed.D. Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Report
Methods of Data Collection and Analysis:
Document review and case studies of New Jersey and Oklahoma.
Initial Analysis and Emerging Recommendations:
California may be able to design a new system for preparing early childhood educators based on policies
enacted in New Jersey and Oklahoma (Gormley, 2005; Mead 2009). Challenges that California would face
include (1) ensuring that pathways for the existing and incoming early childhood workforce are clear, (2)
assuring that those seeking to work in early care and education workforce are given appropriate guidance
around the on-ramps and off-ramps of degree attainment, (3) having each level of degree attainment build
on the next, with limited duplication of course content, and (4) advancing increased compensation to
support increased qualifications.
Features that should be included in a new design for ECE teacher preparation include high quality field
experience opportunities, academic support for the existing workforce, the development of a birth-3 track,
and ensuring all 2- and 4-year educational pathways prepare teachers to implement California’s Learning
Foundations, the Desired Results Developmental Profile Curriculum and Assessment Tool, and the
California Department of Education Early Learning Guidelines.
Options for California in designing a new ECE teacher preparation system include:
1. Developing a comprehensive pathway that supports individuals in moving through community
colleges and 4-year institutions, with an end goal of a BA in ECE and a Multiple Subject credential
2. Increasing attention to child development and early childhood education within the Multiple
Subject credential
3. Establishing a concentration option that would be paired with the Multiple Subject credential
4. Creating a BA in Child and Adolescent Development or Early Childhood Education
5. Creating a specialized credential in early childhood education
Additional Description:
Traditional teacher preparation programs for K-12 typically require foundational, pedagogical, and subject
matter courses, while ECE preparation programs tend to focus on child development courses, health and
safety, family and community, and early childhood curriculum methods. Care needs to be taken to ensure
that changes to coursework that emphasize academic curriculum not overshadow the developmental
needs of young children by increased academic standards from the K-12 system (Hyson, 2009;
Whitebook, 2009;).
A look at the early childhood education workforce in California currently shows a diverse group, ethnically
reflective of the statewide adult female population, with a substantial segment being bilingual (Whitebook,
2006). While the language skills and diversity of the workforce provide a supportive environment for
California’s diverse population of young children, language barriers often serve as a major deterrent for
potential and current members of the workforce in advancing their education (Fuller, 2007; Whitebook,
2006;).
California currently offers two certification options for ECE educators. The first is coursework to obtain a
Child Development Permit; the second is to obtain a baccalaureate degree and a Multiple Subject teaching
credential. The Child Development Permit is required for teachers and administrators working in publicly
subsidized programs serving children from birth to 12 years old. There are six levels of Child Development
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Summary of Packard-CSU Ed.D. Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Report
Permits, with an increasing set of course requirements at each level authorizing the holder to perform
different levels of service in publicly subsidized child development programs. The emphasis is placed on
child development/ECE coursework as opposed to general education coursework.
Educators who want to obtain a Multiple Subject credential must complete a baccalaureate degree, certify
their subject matter competence through a state exam (the CSET), and complete a credential program,
post-BA. Holders of the Credential can work in self-contained classrooms with students that span
preschool through adult (www.CTC.ca.gov).
Selected References:
Advocates for the Children of New Jersey (2005). Does qualified mean quality? Filling the gaps of New
Jersey's early childhood teacher training system. Advocates for the Children of New Jersey.
Retrieved from www.acnj.org.
Barnett, W.S. (2004). Better teachers, better preschools: student achievement linked to teacher
qualifications. National Institute for Early Education Research. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/docs.
Barnett, W.S., (2003). Low wages = low quality: Solving the real preschool teacher crisis. National Institute
for Early Education Research Preschool Policy Facts. Retrieved from http://nieer.org/docs.
Bueno, M., Darling-Hammond, L., and Gonzales, D. (2010). A Matter of Degrees: Preparing Teachers for
the Pre-K Classroom. Education Reform Series.
Chang, H. (2009). Getting ready for quality: The critical importance of developing and supporting a skilled,
ethnically and linguistically diverse early childhood workforce. Oakland, CA: California Tomorrow.
Donovan, L. (2010). Committed to reform: Preschool expansion moves forward despite financial obstacles.
Association for Children of New Jersey Policy Brief. Retrieved from www.acnj.org.
Fuller, B. (2007). Standardized childhood: The political and cultural struggle over early education.
Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Gormley, W. T., & Gayer. (2005) Promoting School Readiness in Oklahoma: An Evaluation of Tulsa's Prek Program. The Journal of Human Resources XL.3 : 533-58.
Hyson, M., Tomlinson, H. & Morris, C. (2009). Quality Improvement in Early Childhood Teacher
Education: Faculty Perspectives and Recommendations for the Future. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Mead, S. (2009). Education reform starts early: Lessons from New Jersey's prek-3rd reform efforts.
Retrieved from www.earlyed.newamerica.net.
Whitebook, M., Gomby, D., Bellm, D., Sakai, L., & Kipnis, F. (2009). Teacher preparation and professional
development in grades K-12 and in early care and education: Differences and similarities, and
implications for research. Part I of Preparing teachers of young children: The current state of
knowledge, and a blueprint for the future. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care
Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California at Berkeley.
Retrieved from ww.ie.berkeley.edu/cscce.
Whitebook, M., Kipnis, F. & Bellm, D. (2008) Diversity and stratification in California's early care and
education workforce. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of
California at Berkeley. Retrieved from ww.ie.berkeley.edu/cscce.
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