Many aspects of the new Child Development Permit are similar to the Children's Center
Instructional Permit but there are some major changes.
The information below is an attempt to clarify these changes and also to outline
the various processes attached to obtaining the Permit.
This section includes information on the permit, a glossary of terms you may need.
An Introduction to the New Child Development Permit
The quality of early care and education programs affects the lives of children and
their families. The importance of high quality in early care and education
programs for children-in terms of cognitive development, social development, and
later success in school, work, and life-has been confirmed by research.
Children who participate in high-quality early childhood programs are more likely
to complete their high school education, less likely to need special education
services, less likely to be involved with the criminal justice system, more likely
to pursue post-secondary education, and more likely to be employed after schooling
than children not engaged in such programs.
The quality of early care and education that children receive depends on the knowledge
and skills of the people who care for and teach them. Good programs for
children rely on competent staff - this belief is supported by research and has
remained constant overtime.
However, the field of early care and education faces a crisis of high demand for
child care, inadequate supply of programs and practitioners, and well-documented
poor quality of programs. Fortunately, the concerned recognition by
policy-makers, the business community and regulatory agencies has generated an
opportunity to create improvements. The National Association for the
Education of Young Children, for example, launched an initiative to improve the
quality and consistency of professional preparation programs for early childhood
educators in 1992.
In California a professional development project, Advancing Careers in Child
Development, spearheaded by Pacific Oaks College and funded by four major foundations,
(Packard, Hilton, Irvine and Parsons) was launched in 199 1. The major goal
of this project was to develop a plan to create a coordinated statewide system that
- welcomes people into the field from a variety of points
- offers clear career pathways with articulated training and credentials
- provides a variety of incentives to stay in the field
Over 120 policy makers from throughout the state have collaborated to develop
strategies and combat structural barriers to recruiting, training, and retaining
child care and development providers.
Every teacher and supervisor who works in a state-subsidized child care and development
program is required to hold a permit issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
In 1992, due to extreme pressure to staff all programs, legislation was enacted which
required the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and the Superintendent of
Public Instruction (SPI) to consult with the early childhood field and coordinate
a review of the preparation and licensing requirements for teachers and supervisors
who work in state subsidized child care and development programs.
Building upon the recommendation that came from the Advancing Careers project,
the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and Superintendent of Public Instruction
collaborated in restructuring the Children's Center Permit into a new Child Development
Permit which recognizes career steps within the early childhood profession.
The restructured permit represents an more streamlined approach to staff certification
and is expected to enhance articulation between different types of child care and
development programs. The career lattice approach reflected in the permit
matrix acknowledges the importance of multiple entry points into the profession and
the need for flexibility in recognizing a variety of high quality preparation models
for individuals seeking employment in this field.
As the new permit was being developed, several broad principles were used to guide
the project:
- to promote high quality services to children
- to promote high quality preparation for early childhood professionals
- to create multiple points of entry into the early childhood profession
- to contain costs for individuals seeking the permit
- to promote and encourage diversity in the profession
- to ease staff movement between different types of programs
Currently California is one of five states that do not include professional development
as a renewal requirement. One of the key elements in the new Child Development Permit,
related to professionalization of the early childhood field, is the introduction of
professional growth as a requirement for renewal of the permit.
The five year renewal requirements on the new matrix will require individuals at every
level of the permit to obtain 105 hours (equivalent to 7 semester units) of professional
growth every five years. Individuals choosing to apply their professional
growth requirements toward a higher degree will be able to advance on the career ladder,
but those not choosing to move in that direction may obtain different types of professional
growth. For example, permit holders may take courses, attend conferences and
workshops, or engage in other staff development activities to meet this requirement.
Under the new system, Site Supervisors and Program Directors will also be required to
participate in professional growth for the first time as part of their renewal requirements.
Most of the current education requirements for the current Children's Center Instructional
Permit have been incorporated into the new Child Development Permit matrix.
The most significant changes in the proposed education requirements involve creation
of the Master Teacher option for professionals who do not necessarily wish to move
into supervision, and the creation of two levels of supervision.
In addition, the proposed steps on the Child Development Permit matrix represent a career
ladder for early childhood professionals and accommodates greater movement between the
state subsidized (Title 5) and non-state subsidized (Title 22) sectors.
The Child Development Permit emphasizes professional development and will impact the
entire early childhood field over time. The restructured Permit helps address
the confusing staff training requirements which currently exist in the Title 5 and Title
22 regulations. The career lattice approach acknowledges the importance of
many entry points into the profession and the need for flexibility in recognizing a variety
of high quality preparation models. In restructuring the permit, acknowledging
the role of non-college based training in the preparation of the early childhood workforce,
and proposing to study further avenues to streamline and upgrade preparation and licensing
in this field, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the Superintendent of Public
Instruction have taken significant steps to reform current practice in this area.
These steps represent a policy orientation that is committed to improving practice in
preparation and licensing, while maintaining access to high quality, affordable child care
and development programs.
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