California Early Childhood Education - Program Guidelines 

Program Guidelines April 2019

This publication by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing is not copyrighted. It may be reproduced in the public interest, but proper attribution is requested.

Commission on Teacher Credentialing
1900 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, California 95811

Note: These guidelines are advisory at the present time and represent an aspirational set of program quality indicators for voluntary use by preparers of the early childhood education workforce.

Part I: Guidelines for Programs Preparing Candidates for Assisting, Teaching, and Mentoring/Coaching Job Roles

Guideline 1: Early Childhood Education Preparation Program Design 

The preparation provided to candidates is designed to address the range of candidate performance expectations so that the early care and education workforce will develop the knowledge and skills to work effectively with all children from birth through age 8 and their families. Coursework and fieldwork/practicum experiences provide candidates with opportunities to learn and practice competencies relating to the care and education of young children. Candidate preparation is grounded in the theoretical framework of developmentally-, linguistically- and culturally-appropriate practices for the care and education of young children as well as for collaborating effectively with families to support their children’s development and learning. These theoretical foundations are reflected in the organization, scope and sequence of the curriculum provided to candidates.

In order to prepare candidates to effectively promote learning for all California young children, key elements within the curriculum include typical and atypical child growth and development from birth through age eight; developmentally-, linguistically-, and culturally-appropriate pedagogy for young children in key content areas as identified in the California Infant/Toddler and Preschool Foundations and Curriculum Framework; understanding the learning trajectories of young children; designing and implementing developmentally-, linguistically- and culturally appropriate curriculum and assessments; understanding and supporting learning for dual language learners and for children with special needs; understanding and supporting the value of play in early childhood learning; understanding and analyzing young children’s’ developmental progression and learning to inform environments and curriculum to meet children’s learning needs; providing social-emotional development and supports for young children; understanding of the range of factors affecting young children’s learning such as the effects of poverty, racial bias, and socioeconomic status; and knowledge of the range of positive behavioral practices and supports for young children. The preparation program design also includes a coherent candidate assessment system to provide formative information to candidates regarding their progress towards the intended level of the Child Development Permit. (See also Standard 6).

Guideline 2: Preparing Candidates to Master the Early Childhood Education Teaching Performance Expectations (ECE-TPEs)

The Early Childhood Education Teaching Performance Expectations (ECE-TPEs) describe the set of professional knowledge and skills expected of a beginning level Child Development practitioner relative to the permit level sought by the candidate in order to effectively support the growth, development, and learning of all young children and to work collaboratively with families to support children’s learning.

The coursework and fieldwork/practicum/clinical practice components of preparation must provide multiple opportunities for candidates to learn, apply, and reflect on each Performance Expectation. As candidates progress through their preparation scope and sequence as designed and as implemented by the candidates’ preparation program, pedagogical assignments are increasingly complex and challenging. The scope of the pedagogical assignments (a) addresses the full range of the ECE-TPEs as these apply to the intended level of the Child Development Permit, and (b) prepares the candidate for course-related and other program assessments of their competence with respect to the ECE-TPEs. As candidates progress through the curriculum, faculty and other qualified supervisors with appropriate background and expertise in early childhood education as identified and selected by the program and/or by the program in collaboration with employers assess candidates’ performance in relation to the ECE-TPEs and provide formative and timely performance feedback regarding candidates’ progress toward mastering the ECE-TPEs.

Guideline 3: Opportunities to Learn and to Practice

A. Fieldwork/Practicum/Clinical Practice Experiences

The program’s organized Fieldwork/Practicum/Clinical Practice experiences are designed to provide candidates with a developmental set of activities integrated with coursework that extend the candidate’s learning through application of theory to practice with young children in California early care and education settings. These experiences may be within the candidate’s ECE workplace as appropriate and as available.

The program provides each candidate with an opportunity to understand and apply theories and principles of educational equity for purposes of creating and supporting more socially just learning environments. Through coursework and fieldwork, candidates (a) examine their personal attitudes related to issues of privilege and power in different domains including age, gender, language, sexual orientation, religion, ableness, and socioeconomic status; (b) learn ways to analyze, monitor, and address these issues at the individual and system level; (c) understand how explicit and implicit racial bias impacts instruction, classroom management, and other early childhood program policies; and (d) develop an understanding of the role of the leader in creating equitable learning opportunities and outcomes in early childhood education settings. The program provides opportunities for candidates to learn how to identify, analyze and minimize personal bias, how policies and historical practices create and maintain institutional bias, and how teachers can help address any identified inequity.

The program prepares candidates to improve growth, development, and learning for all young children by examining teaching, learning, children’s engagement, family and community involvement, and other supports in the early childhood setting that support learning and access for all young children. The program ensures candidates understand the importance of building on young children’s strengths and assets as a foundation for supporting children’s growth, development, and learning, especially young children who are dual language learners and young children with special needs.

Fieldwork provides opportunities for all candidates to observe early childhood classrooms and settings that are committed to and that exemplify developmentally-, culturally- and linguistically-appropriate and effective practices and to select focus students for deeper observational study, as appropriate to the level of the preparation program and the level of the permit sought by the candidate, including children who (a) exhibit typical behavior; (b) exhibit atypical behavior; (c) are dual language learners; and (d) have identified special learning needs. Fieldwork also provides opportunities for candidates to observe teachers using productive routines and effective transitions for children during both instructional and play time.

Candidates are provided with opportunities to review the curriculum and to gain knowledge of important concepts in early learning appropriate to the developmental range of young children ages 0-5. For infants and toddlers, consistent with California’s Infant/Toddler Learning Foundations, these would include but not necessarily be limited to curriculum areas such as social-emotional development, language development, cognitive development, and perceptual and motor development. For young children, consistent with California’s Preschool Learning Foundations, these would include but not necessarily be limited to social-emotional development, early language and literacy development for dual language learners, English language development, early Mathematical reasoning, early scientific reasoning, physical development, health, history-social science, and visual and performing arts Candidates are able to observe a range of early childhood assessments of learning as well as of social-emotional growth and development. Candidates are also able to observe how ECE personnel organize and supervise the work of other adults in the early care and education setting.

The range of supervised experiences included in the program coursework and fieldwork provided to candidates must include program-supervised early field experiences, guided observations in ECE settings, and practice teaching (i.e., co-planning and co-teaching, or guided teaching), among others, as appropriate for the intended level of the Child Development Permit. Candidates should have experiences with a variety of diverse students and families reflective of the demographics of California.

Preparation Faculty and/or Site Supervisors and/or Program Directors provide an orientation for teachers in whose classrooms or ECE settings candidate experiences will take place to ensure that all supervisors of fieldwork/practicum/clinical practice experiences and all cooperating ECE teachers understand their role and expectations. The clinical supervision and support for candidates provided by the program must include at least one in-person site visit, and may also include video capture or synchronous video observation in addition.

B. Criteria for Field Work/Practicum/Clinical Practice Placements

Sites selected for candidate experiences should demonstrate commitment to developmentally- culturally- and linguistically--appropriate and effective practices as well as to collaborative relationships with families. In addition, these sites should also demonstrate placement of students with disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), provide support for dual language learners, offer the opportunity to interact with different student age groups, reflect to the extent possible socioeconomic, linguistic and cultural diversity, and should permit video capture for candidate reflection. The sites selected should have a qualified Master Teacher and a qualified Site Supervisor or Program Director.

Guideline 4: Monitoring and Supporting Candidate Progress towards Meeting Child Development Permit Requirements

Program faculty, program supervisors, and ECE program-employed supervisors, as applicable, monitor and support candidates during their progress towards mastering the TPEs as well as towards meeting the requirements for the Permit level sought. Evidence regarding candidate progress and performance is used to guide the advisement and assistance support that must be provided by the program to each candidate. Appropriate information is accessible to guide candidates’ meeting of all program requirements in a time frame consistent with each candidate’s individual situation, goals, and chosen career pathway.

Guideline 5: Faculty and Supervisor Qualifications

Coursework is provided by qualified faculty members who have relevant knowledge and experience in the field of early care and education, including knowledge of effective practices. Faculty members must have a minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent in early childhood education. Faculty should also have an understanding of adult learning theory in order to work effectively with the early care and education workforce and to effectively supervise fieldwork, practicum, and/or clinical practices experiences for candidates.

Supervisors of field experience should be a Master Teacher or have the qualifications to be eligible for a Master Teacher level permit or above, or hold a valid California Multiple Subject credential.

Guideline 6: Assessment of Candidate Competency

Candidates are assessed by the preparation program through a coherent set of performance- based activities focusing on the adopted Performance Expectations for the intended level of the Child Development Permit. The information gained through the program’s assessments is used to help set learning goals for candidates, inform candidates’ progress towards meeting the TPEs as well as other requirements for the Permit being sought, and provide informal formative evidence of the program’s effectiveness in helping candidates accomplish the Performance Expectations, which can be used to inform program adjustments.

Part II: Guidelines for Programs Preparing Candidates for Administrator-Related Job Roles

Guideline 1: Early Childhood Education Preparation Program Design

The program prepares prospective early childhood administrators to serve effectively as site and program leaders for a variety of early childhood programs and settings. The program’s design is based on a sound rationale informed by theory and research in early childhood education, adult learning theory, and current business, health, nutrition, and safety principles as applicable to early childhood education settings.

The preparation provided to candidates is designed to address the range of early childhood administrator performance expectations so that the early care and education administrator workforce will develop the knowledge and skills to work effectively with staff, young children, other adults in the early education setting, families, and external agencies and funding sources. Candidate preparation is grounded in the theoretical framework of developmentally-, linguistically- and culturally-appropriate practices for the care and education of young children ages 0-5 as well as for collaborating effectively with families to support their children’s development and learning. These theoretical foundations are reflected in the organization, scope and sequence of the curriculum provided to candidates.

The program facilitates each candidate’s development of a professional leadership perspective through learning activities that promote leadership and interpersonal skills. In addition, the program ensures that candidates understand environmental contexts, organizational culture, the multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multilingual family and societal context within which programs operate, and the influence and effects of these factors on human behavior and on young children’s learning. The preparation program design also includes a coherent candidate assessment system to provide formative information to candidates regarding their progress towards the intended level of the Child Development Permit. (See also Standard 6).

Guideline 2: Preparing Candidates to Master the Early Childhood Administrator Performance Expectations (ECE-CAPEs)

A. Fieldwork/Practicum/Clinical Practice Experiences

The program’s organized Fieldwork/Practicum/Clinical Practice experiences are designed to provide candidates with a developmental set of activities integrated with coursework that extend the candidate’s learning through application of theory to practice in California early care and education programs and settings. These experiences may be within the candidate’s ECE workplace as appropriate and as available.

Fieldwork provides opportunities for all candidates to observe early childhood classrooms and settings that are committed to and that exemplify developmentally-, culturally- and linguistically-appropriate and effective practices and to observe the application of theoretical administrative concepts in authentic settings. Each candidate is introduced to the major duties and responsibilities of an early childhood education administrator consistent with the level of the administrator permit sought.

The clinical supervision and support for candidates provided by the program must include at least one in-person site visit, and may also include in addition video capture or synchronous video observation.

B. Criteria for Field Work/Practicum/Clinical Practice Placements

Sites selected for candidate experiences should demonstrate commitment to developmentally- culturally- and linguistically--appropriate and effective practices as well as to collaborative relationships with families. In addition, these sites should also demonstrate placement of students with disabilities in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), provide support for dual language learners, offer the opportunity to interact with different student age groups, reflect to the extent possible socioeconomic, linguistic and cultural diversity, and should permit video capture for candidate reflection. The sites selected should have a qualified Master Teacher and a qualified Site Supervisor or Program Director. The sites should also meet all health, safety, and fiscal responsibility requirements of local, state, and/or federal law, as applicable.

Guideline 4: Monitoring and Supporting Candidate Progress towards Meeting Child Development Permit Requirements

Program faculty, program supervisors, and ECE program-employed supervisors, as applicable, monitor and support candidates during their progress towards mastering the ECE-CAPEs as well as towards meeting the requirements for the Permit level sought. Evidence regarding candidate progress and performance is used to guide the advisement and assistance support that must be provided by the program to each candidate. Appropriate information is accessible to guide candidates’ meeting of all program requirements in a time frame consistent with each candidate’s individual situation, goals, and chosen career pathway.

Guideline 5: Faculty and Supervisor Qualifications

Coursework is provided by qualified faculty members who have relevant knowledge and experience in the field of early care and education. Faculty members must have a minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent in early childhood education. Faculty should also have an understanding of adult learning theory in order to work effectively with the early care and education workforce and to effectively supervise fieldwork, practicum, and/or clinical practices experiences for candidates.

Supervisors of field experience should hold or have the qualifications to be eligible for a Site Supervisor or Program Director level permit, or above, or hold a valid California Multiple Subject credential along with prior applicable experience in ECE settings and/or programs.

Guideline 6: Assessment of Candidate Competency

Candidates are assessed by the preparation program through a coherent set of performance- based activities focusing on the adopted Administrator Performance Expectations for the intended level of the Child Development Permit. The information gained through the program’s assessments is used to help set learning goals for candidates, inform candidates’ progress towards meeting the ECE-CAPEs as well as other requirements for the Permit being sought, and provide informal formative evidence of the program’s effectiveness in helping candidates accomplish the Performance Expectations.