Preliminary PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential

Preliminary PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential

Program Information

Office: COE 1410
Office Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Email: pk3.ece@csudh.edu
Phone: (310) 243-2779 

Contact Us

General questions or inquiries
email: pk3.ece@csudh.edu

Department Chair
Dr. Kate Esposito
email: kesposito@csudh.edu

General Information
Dr. Jenny Chiappe
Co-Director Toros Teach LA, ECE Excellence
email: jchiappe@csudh.edu

Jasmine Combs
SPE Administrative Support Coordinator
email: jcombs7@csudh.edu

Dr. Elaine Semple
Clinical Coordinator
email: esemple@csudh.edu

Rebecca Ellis
Credential Advisor
email: rellis22@csudh.edu

Credential Online Information Session Dates

Online/Zoom

Attend any of these sessions via Zoom to learn how to apply for the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential program.




Early Childhood Excellence

Supporting educators in their careers and serving the region’s crucial need for well trained teachers.

Southern California faces a severe shortage of credentialed early childhood educators. The Early Childhood Excellence initiative addresses this crisis by supporting undergraduate students seeking the PK-3 Specialist Instruction Credential, as well as offering coursework for mid-career teachers who want to earn the new credential as well. Teachers will learn culturally relevant and sustaining practices, and through the support of the initiative, will be able to complete their degrees and credentials with minimal debt. They will also participate in professional development and support networks, to increase overall retention.

Teachers will learn culturally relevant and sustaining practices, and through the support of the initiative, will be able to complete their degrees and credentials with minimal debt. They will also participate in professional development and support networks, to increase overall retention.

The PK-3 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Specialist Instruction Credential at CSUDH will focuses on culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate practices for young children in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 3rd grade. This credential authorizes the holder to teach all subjects in a self-contained general education classroom setting and to team teach or to regroup students across classrooms, in preschool through 3rd grade. The English learner (EL) authorization provided through this credential aligns with the EL authorization that is earned upon completion of a Single, Multiple or Education Specialist teaching credential program.

Complete our interest form and a TTLA staff member will contact you. For more information on the PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction credential, please click the website below.

 






Leadership

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Jenny C. Chiappe, Ph.D. Co-Director, ECE

Jenny C. Chiappe is an Associate Professor in the Special Education Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Dr. Chiappe earned a doctorate in Special Education at UCLA and Cal State LA. Her research interests include teacher practices to address the academic and social needs of students with disabilities and creating inclusive settings for students with and without disabilities. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, Dr. Chiappe worked as a special education teacher to support students with a range of abilities in inclusive settings from preschool to upper elementary school.

Kimberley Radmacher headshot

Kimberly Radmacher, Ph.D., Co-Director, ECE

Kimberley Radmacher is an Associate Professor in the Child Development Department. She began teaching at CSUDH in 2008 and served as the Child Development Department Chair for 10 years. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on social and emotional development with an emphasis on identity development and peer and family relationships. Her identity research bridges the work on social class, stigma, and identity development to examine young adults’ conceptions of social class and the processes through which they come to perceive social class as an aspect of their own identity as well as its intersection with other social identities such as gender and ethnicity.

PK-3 Early Childhood Education Flyer

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Announcements and News

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March 7, 2025

PK-3 Credential Program Video

Featuring Co-Directors, Dr. Jenny Chiappe and Dr. Kimberley Radmacher

Toro Industry Day with images of Kathy Lara and Nicolas Cisneros

September 26, 2024

CTC Approves PK-3 Early Childhood Education Teaching Credential at CSUDH

To combat rising teacher shortages, the CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) has approved a new teaching credential at CSUDH, which has now been accredited to offer it for educators to teach children in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade. The program prepares teachers to work in urban schools with multicultural and multilingual students with diverse needs. Approval of the new California PK-3 Early Child Education (ECE) Specialist Instruction represents a significant advancement in the university’s approach to early childhood education.