SACRAMENTO – AB 1106 was approved by the Senate Education Committee today, June 21st.
Assemblywoman Soria authored AB 1106 to establish a one-time grant program for institutions of higher education to incentivize adoption and implementation of the new PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Credential. This bill is sponsored by The Education Trust-West, who testified in support of the bill today.
“This bill is essential to the state meeting its PK-3 teacher goals, and ensuring diverse students are represented by equally diverse teachers,” said Assemblywoman Soria.
The expansion of transitional kindergarten (TK) has created a high demand for new teachers, with researchers estimating that California districts will need to hire between 11,000 and 15,600 TK teachers on top of the state’s existing shortage. Additionally, bilingual educators are in high demand, as to meet the needs of the increasing number of dual language learning students. This bill provides state resources to incentivize higher institutions to adopt this new credential and build pipelines for students into simultaneous early education credentialing and bilingual authorization.
“With 60% of children under age five being Dual Language Learners and the demand for more dual language immersion programs, it is crucial that the state supports the development of preparation programs that allow for earning a teaching credential and bilingual authorization at the same time, “ said Raquel Morales, Policy and Government Relations Associate at The Education Trust-West. “Launching a new credential program takes time and resources to get it right. We also know that teachers who leave their preparation program well qualified are more likely to stay in the profession, rather than contribute to the teacher attrition that fuels teacher shortages.”
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Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria represents the 27th Assembly District which includes communities in Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties.