California's New Pre-Kindergarten through Third Grade Teaching Credential Programs Aim to Address Teacher Shortage, Provide Specialized Early Learner Instruction

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing continues to approve a growing number of teaching credential programs for those who want to instruct and inspire the state's youngest learners in pre-kindergarten through third grade (PK-3).

The new PK-3 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Specialist Instruction Credential focuses on the development and unique needs of young children and aims to expand a diverse workforce of educators who have the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide developmentally appropriate learning.

"The PK-3 ECE teaching credential programs will help fill a strong need for well-prepared educators working in pre-kindergarten through third-grade classrooms in our state," said Mary Vixie Sandy, executive director, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

"These Commission-approved teacher preparation programs provide specialized instruction and training to produce early childhood educators who are grounded in equitable, inclusive, and diverse teaching practices as well as developmentally appropriate instruction, including in math and literacy."  

To date, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing has approved the below PK-3 ECE teaching credential programs:

• Biola University
• CSU Dominguez Hills
• Fresno State University
• Riverside County Office of Education
• San Diego County Office of Education
• San Jose State University
• Vanguard University
• San Francisco State University
• California State University, Long Beach

Those interested in earning the new PK-3 ECE teaching credential must complete a Commission approved teacher preparation program that includes coursework and supervised clinical practice in California schools as well as completion of a performance assessment demonstrating their competence to teach early learners.

Multiple PK-3 ECE teaching credential pathways are available, including options for experienced early childhood educators and multiple subject credential holders that allow them to complete requirements more efficiently.

The Commission offers these valuable resources for finding and funding a teaching credential program:

• Chat: Those interested in learning how to earn the PK-3 ECE or other teaching credentials are encouraged to reach out to an approved teacher preparation program or schedule a one-on-one consultation with an education career counselor via this form.
  
  
• Learn: Find useful information on how to earn or help fund a teaching credential:

Roadmap to Teaching
Funding Your Future in Teaching

The new PK-3 ECE credential is designed and intended to help meet the demand for qualified teachers to support statewide universal transitional kindergarten for all four-year-olds by the 2025-26 academic year as part of California'sMaster Plan for Early Learning and Care.

Once fully implemented, universal transitional kindergarten is expected to enroll more than 300,000 students and require up to 15,600 additional credentialed teachers, according to a report from the Learning Policy Institute.  

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is an agency in the Executive Branch of California State Government. It was created in 1970 and is the oldest of the autonomous state standards boards in the nation. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing serves as a state standards board for educator preparation for public schools, and is responsible for the licensing and credentialing of professional educators, the enforcement of professional practices of educators, and the discipline of credential holders in California.

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SOURCE California Commission on Teacher Credentialing