PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential

About the PK-3 Specialist Instruction Credential

Our PK-3 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Specialist Instruction Credential offers a pathway to become a teacher with hands-on classroom experience in preschool through Grade 3 classrooms. California will need 15,000 TK teachers this year, and this credential will significantly improve your teaching skills, while increasing your employment mobility.

With a PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential, you will confidently be able to teach all subjects in a self-contained general education classroom setting, participate in team teaching, or regroup students in Preschool through Grade 3, all while helping your students prepare for ongoing educational success.

Our credential is intended to meet the unprecedented need for qualified ECE teachers who have the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide developmentally appropriate learning for all young children. 

We partner with many school districts for clinical practice placements. These schools are chosen based on their ethnic, race, and socioeconomic diversity, as well as the inclusion of students with disabilities and the use of curriculum that is aligned with California's adopted content standards and frameworks.

This program is available in person or online.

Read about our TK Residency Program.

Read about our other Teacher Preparation Program Credentials.

> > View our On--Demand Information Session [insert link] for an overview of our programs, including program requirements, financing, support, and contact information

> > Credential begins Fall 2026. Currently accepting applications. Apply for the PK-3 credential here.

Admission Requirements

An interview with the Admissions Committee will be scheduled once your completed application has been reviewed and meets all the requirements.

Candidates must meet the following admission criteria to be eligible for admission to the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential Program:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
• Subject Matter Competency Requirement is met through one of the following 2 options:
• Bachelor Degree or higher with an exact degree title of one of the following: Child Development, Child and Adolescent Development, Human Development, Early Childhood Education, Child and Family Studies, Early Childhood Studies, Human Development and Family Science, Family Science, or​ Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies

OR

• Completion of 24 semester units or equivalent quarter units of non-remedial, degree-applicable coursework in Child Development or Early Childhood Education. Applicants will need to provide a copy of their unofficial transcripts for program review
• Statement of Purpose: please describe your interest in the PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential and your commitment to working with young children (150 words) 
• Statement of Professional Dispositions: refer to the list below of Professional Dispositions and select two or three dispositions that you possess. Describe how these dispositions make you a strong candidate for the teaching profession (200 words)
  • Collaboration 
  • Critical Thinking 
  • Reflective Practitioner 
  • Professional Ethics 
  • Valuing Diversity 
  • Life-Long Learning 
  • Social Justice and Equity 
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for admission
  • If your GPA is below the required GPA, please petition for Exception by Admission by completing the GPA justification form. The Teacher Preparation Committee makes the final decision about offering Admission to applicants whose GPA is below 3.0
• Fingerprint Clearance
  • Classroom Observation and Clinical Practice are a large part of the credential program. To be placed in a classroom setting, you will need to obtain fingerprint clearance. You must possess a valid Certificate of Clearance or another CTC-issued document. Learn how to apply here. This site explains the Automated California Residents Process
  • If you submit a Certificate of Clearance application, you will need to upload the email from the CTC verifying you submitted your application
  • The Certificate of Clearance is valid for 5 years. You must maintain valid fingerprint clearance throughout your time in the credential program
  • If you already hold the document from the CTC (a substitute teacher permit, activities supervisor's certificate, etc.), the document would need to meet the fingerprint clearance requirement
• Pre-program Field Experience (45 hours) Verification Form (You must submit a completed verification form) 
• Current Resume
• Tuberculosis Clearance
  • Applicants must verify the absence of active tuberculosis. In addition, the TB test report or a letter from a physician regarding a chest x-ray must have been administered within the last three years and indicate a negative result. Complete this test at any health facility 
• Two letters of recommendation
  • Please use this Letter of Recommendation Template for your recommenders to complete. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide recommenders with ample time to complete and return the letters by the application deadline

CURRICULUM:

Estimated Cost of Attendance: $ 15,700 (tuition and related credential fees = 34 units x $450)

Click here for more information about tuition and fees, including financial aid.