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PK-3 Credential Clinical Practice Equivalency

Candidates for this credential may already be experienced early childhood educators and/or have completed structured Early Childhood Education practicum course(s). Candidates who meet specific criteria are granted equivalency for some or all of the PK/TK portion of the clinical practice requirement. Candidates must still meet all other program requirements, including a clinical practice experience of at least 200 hours in a K-3 setting.

The PK-3 Credential program recognizes and grants clinical practice equivalency for up to 400 of the required clinical hours, based on two types of qualifying experiences.

Option 1: Equivalency with Qualifying Professional Work Experience

Option 2: Equivalency with Coursework in Practicum or Supervised Clinical Practice

To apply for one or both equivalency options, you must submit your request within 15 days of acceptance to the PK-3 Credential program. More detailed information about each of these options is described below. Read through this detailed information before determining whether you should submit the application for equivalency for either option.

Option 1: Qualifying Professional Work Experience

Candidates who have already been employed as lead teacher for at least six years in a childcare or child development center prior to admission to the PK-3 Credential, and who meet additional requirements outlined below, may be eligible for Clinical Practice Equivalency Option 1: Professional Work Experience.

Candidates must meet BOTH of the following requirements, outlined in sections (1) and (2), below.

  1. Either hold a valid Child Development Permit at the Teacher level or higher OR verify employment as a lead teacher in a Head Start program or a childcare and development center serving preschool-aged children. (Note: Lead teacher means an adult who has direct responsibility for the care and development of children from birth to 5 years of age in a center-based early childhood care setting and serves in a teaching capacity with 3- and/or 4-year-olds. Title 5 Code of Regulations 80067(d)(1)(B)(iii))

AND

  1. Verify six (6) years or more of satisfactory, full-time teaching experience as a lead teacher in a public or private center-based childcare and development program serving preschool-aged children that is either a license-exempt child care and development center pursuant to California Health and Safety Code section 1596.792(o) or holds a license as defined in section 101152(l)(1), Article 1 Chapter 1, Division 12, of Title 22. (Note: Full time teaching is defined as classroom-based teaching for at least 3 hours per day, for at least 75% of the school year. Title 5 Code of Regulations 80067(d)(1)(B)(ii)).)

Verification Requirements:

Satisfactory teaching experience shall be verified by the public or private center-based childcare and development center. Verification must include a statement by the employer confirming that the teacher’s performance was rated satisfactory or better in the following areas (must include all):

  • The use of developmentally appropriate teaching strategies for preschool-aged children.
  • The ability to establish and maintain developmentally appropriate standards and expectations for student behavior.
  • A demonstration of deep knowledge of early literacy, early mathematics, and other preschool subjects, and the use of developmentally appropriate teaching and learning approaches that engage students and promote student understanding.
  • An ability to plan and implement a sequence of appropriate learning activities, both teacher and child initiated.
  • An ability to evaluate and assess student learning outcomes.
  • An ability to communicate effectively with young children and their families/guardians.

ASSESSMENT PROCESS - Follow instructions below for submitting the appropriate forms for consideration of equivalency based on professional work experience.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Submit within 15 days of acceptance into the PK-3 Credential Program.

COMPLETE the survey at the link below. To complete this survey, you will need the following information:

  1. Name and contact information for the Director (or equivalent) of the center-based childcare or development center where you worked. If needed, you may input information about more than one employer in order to verify at least 6 years of full- time satisfactory teaching experience. A maximum of 200 hours may be waived.
  2. A copy of your CTC Teacher (or higher) Permit, which can be obtained on the CTC website.

APPLY HERE for EQUIVALENCY

PROCESSING TIME:

The processing time is 2-4 weeks depending on the volume of requests received. Candidates will receive notification through email about the status of the request.

Option 2: Completion of Practicum in Early Childhood Education

Candidates who have already completed a practicum course at a regionally accredited institution of higher education, including a community college, shall be granted clinical practice equivalency for the hours completed during the practicum course, up to 200 hours. In order to be granted clinical practice equivalency for the practicum course, all of the following conditions must be met:

  1. The practicum course is credit bearing and degree applicable towards a Teacher level or higher-level Child Development Permit or a degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Child and Adolescent Development, Early Childhood Studies, or Human Development.
  2. The practicum hours completed were in a preschool or early childhood setting serving 3-4-year-old children and included clinical practice experience that was supervised at minimum by a trained faculty member/instructor with expertise in Early Childhood and Child Development pedagogy who provided observation and feedback to the candidate.
  3. The practicum hours were completed within the past fifteen years.
  4. The candidate earned a C or better on the practicum course. Courses earned with a “Pass” or another designation deemed by the institution of higher education to be equivalent to a grade of “C” or higher are also acceptable.
  5. The candidate provides the PK3 program verification of the hours served through transcripts and other documentation, as determined by the PK3 ECE Specialist Instruction program.

ASSESSMENT PROCESS - Follow instructions below for submitting the appropriate forms for consideration of equivalency based on practicum course(s).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Submit within 15 days of acceptance into the PK-3 Credential Program.

COMPLETE the survey at the link below. To complete this survey, you will need the following information:

  1. List of all supervised practicum courses that you believe meet this requirement, including where taken, when taken, and grade earned
  2. Transcripts showing each practicum course; you will upload the transcripts

APPLY HERE for EQUIVALENCY

BASED ON PRACTICUM COURSES

PROCESSING TIME:

The processing time is 2-4 weeks depending on the volume of requests received. Candidates will receive notification through email about the status of the request.

Verification and Approval Process

The PK-3 Credential Coordinator will verify the information and may grant clinical practice equivalence to PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential candidates who meet all requirements, for no more than a total of 400 hours of clinical practice credit. It may take up to four weeks to verify the information provided in the surveys.

Candidates who have completed both a verified work experience as outlined in Clinical Practice Equivalency Option 1 above and a qualified practicum experience as outlined in Clinical Practice Equivalency Option 2 above may be granted a maximum of 400 hours total commensurate with the number of hours served toward the clinical practice experience requirement and shall complete the remaining 200 hours of clinical practice experience in grades K-3 in the teacher preparation program.

Contact

Contact us at aciraulo@csus.edu or coe-cred@csus.edu