The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) is the recipient of $3.7 million in grant funding to create and coordinate a new local partnership called SacE3 (Sacramento Consortium Empowering Early Educators). The goal over three years is to help increase the number of early education teachers in response to the expected need for up to 11,000 additional transitional kindergarten teachers statewide. The dramatic increase in workforce needs comes as the option for transitional kindergarten is being made universally available in California (Assembly Bill 130).
SacE3 will include local school districts, many charter schools, the Los Rios Community College District, and California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), along with the SCOE School of Education and the Fortune School of Education. It will offer stipends, professional growth advising, streamlined access to coursework, and professional learning opportunities.
Funding comes from the California Department of Education (CDE) Early Education Teacher Development Grant (EETD), which is being awarded to 72 education agencies across California. It aims to increase the number of highly qualified preschool and transitional kindergarten teachers and provide professional learning opportunities for pre-kindergarten, transitional kindergarten, and kindergarten teachers that promote “whole child” instructional practices—addressing social and emotional needs.
Pathways to a Teaching Career
Starting in Spring 2023, the Los Rios Community College District plans to offer priority course registration, career navigation, and additional support to aspiring preschool teachers as they work toward early childhood education units, child development permits, and associate degrees.
Tuition assistance will also be available through the partnership for up to 30 participants in a CSUS workforce cohort for those seeking a bachelor’s degree in child/adolescent development focused on early childhood education. SacE3 will also sponsor 50% of the tuition costs for participants to attend the SCOE School of Education Teacher Intern Program or the Fortune School of Education Teacher Intern Program to earn a P–3 or multiple-subject credential focused on early childhood education.
Professional Learning Opportunities
In addition to recruitment efforts, the EETD grant will fund a professional learning system to help advance training for local preschool, transitional kindergarten, and kindergarten teachers on topics like inclusive classrooms, culturally responsive instruction, supporting dual-language learners, and enhancing social-emotional learning. Funding will allow training and development efforts to continue for preschool through 3rd-grade school administrators, and SacE3 will also support workforce development for early learning and care programs. (This includes family childcare homes, private and state-funded childcare centers, district preschools, and transitional kindergarten.)
Sign Up to Learn More
More details about pathways to becoming a teacher will be available in the coming weeks. To receive additional information, please complete the SacE3 Interest Survey by November 14, 2022.
Those interested in the SacE3 programs or wanting information about becoming an early education teacher should contact SCOE’s Early Learning Department for more details: earlylearning@scoe.net or (916) 228-2506.