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

4. Challenges

   1. The existing child development teacher requirements in the various public and private settings are already very complex and may get more complicated if the state implements a new preschool system. The development of the workforce needs to be addressed jointly by the key entities, such as CDE, CTC and all of the systems of higher education.

   2. There is a need to develop new faculty who are culturally and linguistically diverse- we need to develop these faculty very early-on in their education, providing the career ladders and assistance needed to assist students to obtain their Associate Degree and transfer, letting students know about the opportunities for future leadership positions, advanced degrees, becoming college faculty and doing research in ECE.

   3. Certification Systems - these systems need to be streamlined for students, but at the same time allow for the differences in how students enter the system. As most of the students will start at the community college level, there needs to be a new way, thinking out of the box, for getting the work they are doing and the competencies they are obtaining at the community college recognized by BA institutions and count towards a new Early Learning Credential.

   4. Improving compensation for the ECE workforce - with the opportunity to make a higher salary (comparable to K-12), mandates for higher standards for early childhood teachers, supportive services, flexible course locations and times as well as adequate financial aid, we are convinced that students will take more classes and aspire to the higher degree and credential requirements being proposed in state and local workforce initiatives.

5. Opportunities and the Future

   1. First do no harm (we have a working system) - "build upon" the solid work that has been done over the last decade - the career ladder of the existing Child Development Permit; the competencies developed inclusively by the Advancing Careers in Child Development Project; the ECE curriculum diversity project, A Deeper Context; the West Ed Inclusion Project, and others that have been built by experts in the field of ECE. All of these should be reviewed and used as a starting point for the new work that will be needed to move people on to a BA level and possible new credential.
      
      Given the strength, depth and diversity of these CCC programs, and with an increase in resources for student supports (as Marcy's recommendations say, resources to help develop these future college teachers and researchers are needed for success).

   2. CCCs can provide the core lower division major ECE coursework, including practicum, preparing students with the competencies needed for their journey to a BA and credential.

   3. Expand and maintain the pipeline for a diverse student population to reach the BA and credential level can only occur through program articulation on a statewide basis.

      1. Example of articulation headway being made by CSU, Long Beach and Glendale Community College working together.

6. CSU's should offer BA's through partnership with CCCs
   1. CSU's alone cannot provide what proposed initiatives require
   2. cooperation with CCCs critical
   3. on-site BA at CCCs
   4. distance education
   5. most students are part-time, evening

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