Early Childhood Education
Outline of Presentation
Steve Bruckman, Executive Vice Chancellor
California Community Colleges System Office

March 3, 2006

Joint Higher Education Meeting on ECE

1. Introduction

   1. Greetings from Chancellor & Thanks to CSU and others

   2. System perspective - Early Childhood Education is one of the highest enrolled programs in the community colleges and most current ECE teachers, directors and other providers in early care and education programs have taken their ECE coursework at one or more of our colleges. We have had the primary responsibility for preparing the early childhood workforce in CA. As a result there is a great deal of expertise to draw upon in creating new directions in this career path.

2. Statistics on ECE programs at California Community Colleges

   1. Number of programs, ECE degrees and certificates at CCCs
   • 109 colleges, nearly all have ECE (100)
   • 2000 Associate degrees annually
   • 5700 certificates annually
   • 50,000 students majoring in ECE annually

   2. Link to CTC Child Development Permits

      • Over 7000 applications for Child Development Permits are sent to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing each year for approval, and most of these are based on the credit courses students have taken at the CCCs.

   3. ECE facilities at CCCs

      • Through state Capital Outlay funds we have built 42 state of the art ECE facilities in just the last 5-8 years. An estimated $153 m has been spent on these. In addition many other campuses have passed local facility bonds that include the construction of ECE facilities on the campuses.

      • 100 campuses now have facilities to conduct their student practicum in during their certificate and degree programs.

   4. Mentoring & Diversity of ECE at CCCs

      • Because of statewide EC Mentor Program in over 90 CCCs, there is an extensive network of trained supervisors in other high quality settings to provide guidance and support to our students, in conjunction with our faculty teaching these courses.

      • Diversity - We have the most diverse student population of students in the CCCs and they are the most reflective of young children and their families in CA than any other college system.

3. Quality ECE Programs at CCCs

   1. Practical skills - We offer comprehensive instructional programs that cover the most critical areas of ECE, integrating both practice and theory and based on the most current research.
   2. Title 5 rigor - coursework development requires approval of curriculum committees, evaluation and program review processes.
   3. Professional faculty - As Marcy Whitebook's study confirms, faculty at CCCs have both academic rigor and practical experience in the ECE field. Faculty standards are high for hiring, evaluation and tenure.

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