Frequently Asked Questions

Having an ECE credential will allow you:
  • access higher wage ECE jobs, 
  • access to benefit packages, 
  • become a member of a teacher union through a school district, 
  • access to professional development opportunities, and
  • teach Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, and Third Grade.

The program is anticipated to accept students for the 2025 - 2026 academic year or once we receive approval form the California Commission of Teacher Credential (CCTC).

To be eligible to apply for the PK-3 credential, you must:
  • earn a bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, preferably with a degree major in Child Development, Child and Adolescent Development, Human Development, Early Childhood Education, Child and Family Studies, Early Childhood Studies, Human Development and Family Science, Family Science, or Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies

       OR

  • complete 24-semester units or the equivalent quarter units of non-remedial, degree-applicable coursework in child development or early childhood education.

You're off to a great start because you meet the subject requirement. Check back in the spring for more information. 

Obtain 24 units of child development or early childhood education and so you will be eligible for the PK-3 ECE Credential once the credential is reviewed and approved by the CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

Earn an Associate's degree in child development and transfer to a four-year university for a bachelor's degree, preferably in one of the 9-degree majors listed above or liberal studies.

To be eligible for a PK-3 credential, you should 

  • apply to a four-year university to earn your bachelor's degree in one of the 9-degree majors listed above or liberal studies, or

  • apply to a community college to earn an Associate's degree in child development, and then transfer to a four -year university for a bachelor's degree. 

Total number of units required is 40.  

  • Prerequisites (6 units) 
  • Corequisites (9 units) 
  • Pedagogical Methods (15 units) 
  • Student Teaching (10 units)

PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential Courses 

School District Curriculum Specialists, Directors, and Program Coordinators.