Letter from the Leadership - November 14, 2023
It is a great honor to be 1 of the 26 individuals appointed by the California Department on Teacher Credentialing to serve as a member of the California Child Development Permit Workgroup, and join fellow Early Childhood Education experts to build upon the recommendations made by the Child Development Permit Advisory Council in 2017. The charge of the workgroup is to make further recommendations on the structure and requirements of the Child Development Permit in alignment with the states Master Plan for Early Learning and Care.
As a workgroup member we have a charge to diligently review the historical data and information about the structure and intention behind the Child Development Permit and provide thoughtful and well sourced recommendations based on the current status of the early care and education workforce. Over the course of the next several months we will convene 7 times to discuss the following questions;
- How should the current permit structure be revised, updated, or modified to ensure that early childhood educators, early childhood education (ECE) program administrators, and those who provide before- and after-school care based on holding a school-age permit authorization are adequately prepared for their job roles, considering the recommendations outlined in the Master Plan, the knowledge and skills needed to meet the multifaceted educational and developmental needs of children, working effectively in partnership with parents/guardians to promote children’s learning and development, and meeting the needs of employers for well qualified ECE staff?
- How can the State best monitor and ensure quality in the preparation of the ECE workforce within the resources available?
- How should the 2019 Teacher Performance Expectations (TPEs) for ECE be reorganized to align with the proposed new structure for the Child Development Permit?
Since August of 2023, I have had the pleasure of participating in two of the seven meetings. To date the workgroup has focused its time thoroughly reviewing the Master Plan for Early Learning and Care, a review of the new Pk-3 Teaching Credential, the current Child Development Permit under Title 5, and a review of the Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE’s) and the Master Plan Competencies Alignment.
As the work of the CDP Workgroup moves forward, the field will have multiple opportunities to provide input into draft proposed modifications to the Permit structure as well as draft potential approaches to monitoring and ensuring quality in the preparation of the ECE workforce within available resources. Public information can be found on the California Department of Teacher Credential website and in the published document, 4A Information/Action, Educator Preparation Committee – Child Development Permit Workgroup Plan.
I look forward to continuing to keep you informed of the workgroups progress and represent the voice of the ECE field with the core values of promoting a system that elevates equity, make recommendations that balance quality with access, and build upon the ECE workforce in all it’s rich diversity, and most importantly to make recommendations that represents a true mix delivery system. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share your thoughts, feelings and questions you have about the work of the Child Development Workgroup.
Kindest regards,
Valerie
Additional Resources
PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential Web Page