Early Childhood Education
Teacher Preparation Program
Our program stands out from other college programs...
we are a teacher preparation program.
Our teacher preparation program is for students interested in teaching at the Early Childhood Education level (ages 0-8). At Santa Ana College, students will engage in coursework and fieldwork/clinical practice that will teach you how to teach. In our program, you will engage in coursework and gain laboratory school experience working with children.
- Our program is aligned with the CalFTPA (California Early Childhood Formative Teaching Performance Assessmen), a performance-based assessment designed to evaluate and support early childhood educators' instructional practices, planning, and reflection skills. It is designed to measure teacher candidates’ ability to plan, instruct, assess, and reflect on their teaching practices in early childhood settings.
- Completing the CalFTPA while at a community college is a valuable step toward preparing for transfer to a university and entering a teaching credential program. It introduces you to California’s Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs), which are the foundation of the CalTPAs required for credentialing. By gaining early experience in lesson planning, classroom observation, and reflective practice, you build essential teaching skills and confidence that will support your success in more advanced coursework.
- This preparation not only strengthens your transfer applications but also gives you a head start on understanding the expectations of the teaching profession, helping you transition more smoothly into a credential program and eventually complete the CalTPAs.
Earn Your First Teaching Credential
- Successful completion of this program will allow students to apply for their first teaching credential from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (child development permit) which is needed to teach in a state funded early childhood program or a federally funded early childhood program (Head Start).
- This program prepares students to learn how to teach and also prepares students to transfer to a university to complete a bachelor’s degree and a higher-level teaching credential: Preschool-Third Grade Educational Specialist teaching credential and/or Early Childhood Special Education teaching credential.
Teacher Preparation Courses
Students will take in-person specialized courses that provide opportunities to learn how to teach while using developmentally appropriate practices, as well as observe and work alongside early childhood education teachers in an Early Childhood Laboratory School setting. These specialized courses include:- CDEV 108 (3 units) – Observation and Assessment for Early Learning
- Students complete child observations in a RSCCD early childhood laboratory school setting
- CDEV 111A (3 units) – Principles and Practices of Teaching Young Children
- Students complete observations and assignments in a RSCCD early childhood laboratory school setting
- CDEV 111B (3 units) – Introduction to Curriculum for Young Children
- Students complete observations and assignments in a RSCCD early childhood laboratory school setting
- CDEV 296 (4 units) – Practicum: The Student Teaching Experience (formally CDEV 298A/B)
- Students complete 108 hours of student teaching in a RSCCD early childhood laboratory school setting or an approved California Mentor program site setting
Students will conduct all observations and assignments during the RSCCD early childhood laboratory school’s regular operating hours, Monday-Friday between 7:30am-5:00pm.
Teacher Preparation Format
- Every other week, the student will attend their in-person class session.
- Morning and evening course sections are available; however, lab school placements take place during weekday mornings. Attendance in the lab school placements are a requirement of the program.
Potential Careers
- Child Care Administration
- Early Childhood Home Based Educator
- Early Childhood Education Special Education Teacher
- Family Child Care Home Based Provider
- Infant/Toddler Teacher
- Preschool-3rd Grade Teacher
Certificate Programs: Add Specialized Training to the Degree
Child Care Administration
- For future educators interested in becoming an administrator of a center based child care center or a family child care home based center
Early Childhood Special Education Teacher (Pre-Professional)
- For future educators interested in teaching special education
Additional Add-On Teacher Training Certificates
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math)
Current Early Childhood Educators
Students currently teaching in an Early Childhood Education classroom setting have the option to complete the Associate Degree in Child and Adolescent Development program. This program does not teach you to teach, rather, it is for current early childhood educators who want to pursue their associate's degree while currently working in an early childhood education classroom setting. There is NOT a practicum course in this degree program. Students will need to complete verification of experience from their place of employment for the supervised work experience requirement if they are seeking a Child Development permit.
