BILL NUMBER: SB 1126INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Liu FEBRUARY 18, 2010 An act to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745) to Chapter 9.2 of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1126, as introduced, Liu. Public postsecondary education: student transfer: early childhood education course requirements. Existing law establishes the segments of the public postsecondary education system in the state, including the University of California administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law requires the board of governors, the regents, and the trustees to jointly develop, maintain, and disseminate a common core curriculum in general education courses for the purposes of student transfer and prescribes related requirements. These provisions are applicable to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable. This bill would require the Trustees of the California State University, and request the Regents of the University of California, in conjunction with the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, to develop articulation and transfer program agreements for early childhood education and related majors. The bill would require those agreements to include a waiver of course requirements for those majors for completion of similar courses at a community college and to count those courses toward the completion of minimum upper division requirements for those majors. The bill would make related findings and declarations. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745) is added to Chapter 9.2 of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read: Article 3. Early Childhood Education Transfer Requirements 66745. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Early childhood educators play a critical role in the development of children. The Child and Family Policy Center has found that the early childhood education workforce, which includes directors, teachers, assistant teachers, and providers, includes approximately 130,000 people, predominately female, who educate and care for 750,000 infants and preschoolers. (b) The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment has found that the demand for high-quality child care and early education far exceeds the number of providers and facilities currently available. (c) A study conducted by First 5 California estimates that more than 50 percent of children under the age of five require the care of someone other than their parents. The same study found that children who participate in high-quality child care and education do better in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school, go to college, and develop better emotional and social skills. (d) The Child Care Law Center has determined that early care and education is a critical area for societal investment to ensure equity and opportunity for all children, to support low-income families, and to fight poverty. (e) Early childhood education students are more likely to be educated at California Community Colleges. Only 18 of the early childhood teacher preparation programs and the baccalaureate programs offered by the California State University are geared toward early childhood education teacher training. (f) According to the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University, of the 430,000 students enrolled in the system for the fall 2009 semester, only 377 are majoring in early childhood education. (g) One hundred three California Community Colleges offer child development or early childhood education majors, making them more accessible than the California State University system. 66746. (a) The Trustees of the California State University shall, and the Regents of the University of California are requested to, in conjunction with the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, develop articulation agreements and transfer program agreements for early childhood education and related majors. These agreements are subject to the following requirements: (1) Course requirements for the completion of a major in early childhood education, or a related major, shall be waived by the destination campus of the California State University or University of California, to the extent that a student has satisfactorily completed similar coursework at the community college from which the student transferred. (2) Courses waived pursuant to paragraph (1) shall count toward the completion of minimum upper division requirements for the early childhood education major or a related major. (b) The trustees and the board of governors shall, and the regents are requested to, in consultation with the appropriate faculty, develop criteria for determining both of the following for purposes of this section: (1) Whether a major is related to early childhood education. (2) Whether coursework completed at a community college is similar to a required course at a campus of the University of California or the California State University.