New California Law Gives Early Educators a Seat on Teacher Standards Board

For the first time ever, early childhood educators will have a seat on the influential board that sets standards for public school teachers across California.

Under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last week, Oct. 1, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s 15 voting members will include two who have experience and expertise in the early years.

They will include a teacher who works at a state-funded preschool or pre-kindergarten program, and a college or university faculty member who teaches child development or early childhood education, often referred to as ECE.

Assm. Al Muratsuchi, who sponsored the bill, called it a “long overdue measure that will ensure that ECE educators, administrators, and the faculty who prepare them have a voice on issues of direct consequence to them and the families they serve.”

The commission sets standards for teachers and issues permits and credentials for them to work in classrooms, including a new credential to teach pre-kindergarten through third grade.

The PK-3 credential was established last year to meet growing demand for transitional kindergarten teachers, but advocates criticized the commission for developing the standards without seriously considering the input of early childhood educators.

“A lot of times, early educators are the last to be brought onto initiatives like the PK-3 credential, which already had momentum behind it by the time [they] were asked to contribute to what was being designed,” said Tony Ayala, a professor of child development and family studies at Solano Community College. He advocated for the bill on behalf of PEACH, a group of California academics focused on developing the early care and education workforce.

Critics of the credential said it set tough barriers for early educators who already have experience teaching young kids in private or nonprofit-based preschools.

“Right now, early childhood educators are being locked out of teaching TK because of the credentialing process,” said Elena Montoya, associate director of research and policy at UC Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. “We applaud this new action by the governor and legislature to bring their experience and voices to the commission.”

Ayala called the law a huge win for early childhood educators, most of whom are women of color who work in childcare and preschool settings, and could stand to earn higher wages and benefits if they have a smoother pathway toward teaching in TK classrooms.

“Despite their critical role in supporting California’s children and families, these professionals have historically been marginalized and given limited opportunities to influence policy decisions,” he said.