BACKGROUNDER: Achieving a High-Quality Preschool Teacher Corps: A Focus on California By Miriam E. Calder贸n There is growing momentum in California to expand preschool education opportunities, particularly among Latinos. A recent public opinion research poll shows that 75% of California voters favor state government funding for preschool programs; among Latino voters in California, support for a publicly-funded preschool program is an overwhelming 86%. Legislation introduced in the last session of the California Assembly to address the issue included the California Master Plan for Education bill which sought to create a voluntary, publicly-funded preschool program for all three- and four-year-old children in the state. Although this bill was not enacted, California voters can expect a preschool measure on the ballot in the next two years, as well as the introduction of legislation to create a voluntary preschool program. The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), through its Sacramento, California policy office, is a partner in the Preschool for All campaign, a coalition committed to a high-quality, voluntary, publicly-financed preschool for all system. Latino children are among those most likely to benefit from a preschool for all system in California. Nearly half (46%) of all three- to five-yearold children in the state are Latino, yet only 37% of Latino children in this age group are enrolled in preschool.
Teacher Quality, a Key Issue for Latinos Throughout the nation, and particularly in California, the quality of preschool programs is related to the availability of well-prepared teachers who have the skills and training to effectively serve a linguistically- and culturally-diverse child population. For example, 39% of the state s preschool-aged child population are English language learners (ELLs). For a preschool system in California to be effective, the preschool workforce must include Latinos and teachers with expertise in serving ELLs. Recent studies underscore that providing these children with access to bilingual teachers enhances school readiness and academic achievement. In addition, bilingual teachers can be effective in engaging and building trust with parents and families of diverse cultural and language backgrounds. Preparing a diverse, highly-qualified preschool workforce is critical for quality preschool programs. However, it will be a significant task for California. Research demonstrates that having teachers with higher levels of formal education and training in child development improves classroom quality and leads to better outcomes for children. In response, state preschool legislative proposals have sought to increase formal education requirements for preschool teachers, including requiring teachers to hold bachelor s degrees. Increasing formal teacher education requirements, however, presents several challenges for California. Chief among these is that too few higher education institutions in the California system offer the
degree programs in early childhood education necessary to produce enough qualified preschool teachers. In addition, policies requiring preschool teachers to hold a bachelor s degree will significantly raise the bar on existing regulations, which do not require teachers of young children to complete a college degree. Thus, there is not a readily available pool of degreed preschool teachers to meet an increased demand. In fact, a study of the California early care and education (ECE) workforce found that these teachers have lower rates of college educational attainment than the general population of teachers, particularly among Latino ECE providers. Lastly, from a Latino perspective, there is an underlying concern about the impact of proposed changes to preschool teacher preparation policies on the diversity of the workforce. Currently, the ECE workforce includes many Latino providers. However, very few Latino ECE staff already possess bachelor s degrees. Anecdotal evidence from other states that have implemented policies requiring preschool teachers to hold a bachelor s degree demonstrates that these policies may have decreased the diversity of the ECE workforce. Thus, policy-makers face serious challenges in setting higher preschool teacher education standards while maintaining diversity in the preschool teacher pool to meet the needs of the state s diverse child population. As these issues unfold, NCLR recommends that policies seeking to achieve a high-quality and diverse workforce should leverage the skills of the current workforce, create an infrastructure to train the next generation of teachers, include a significant outreach and recruitment component in Latino communities, and collect data on the demographics of the preschool workforce.
Recommendations An effective preschool for all program in California should: Build a bilingual teachers career ladder program for non-degreed teachers which includes financial and academic supports. Build an incentive structure that provides higher salaries for teachers with degrees. Provide grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to prepare teachers to meet the new demand. Provide grants to IHEs to develop and expand diverse faculty. Establish a joint bachelor s degree in ECE and bilingual education. Invest in ongoing credit-bearing professional development. Create a pathway for a career in ECE at the high school level. Establish a bilingual certification for teachers of young ELLs. Ensure the participation of the community college system. Invest in linguistically- and culturally-appropriate outreach and recruitment strategies. Convene a group of minority ECE professionals to share best practices and models for increasing the number of minority teachers. Recruit individuals with ECE training and education acquired in countries outside of the U.S. Collect data on the demographics of the ECE workforce. Develop a research plan for teacher diversity.
Include Latino representation on the California Preschool Workforce Blue Ribbon Committee.
Conclusion Latinos are major stakeholders in the development of preschool for all in California. Until now, the needs of Latino children and their families have not been taken into account in deciding what a revamped preschool system should look like. As California policy-makers develop proposals and strategies for preparing the preschool workforce to provide high-quality services, they should note the need for a diverse workforce to provide this care to the state s linguistically- and culturally-diverse children. For more information, please see Achieving a High-Quality Preschool Teacher Corps: A Focus on California (Issue Brief #14) at www.nclr.org, or contact NCLR Policy Analysts Miriam Calder贸n at (202) 776-1767 or Ana G谩miz at (916) 448-9852 ext. 205.