Early Childhood Administrative and Leadership
Are you looking to move into a leadership position in the field of Early Childhood Education? Do you aspire to open your own childcare center? Are you an entrepreneur seeking the tools to make your venture a success?
The Early Childhood Administrative and Leadership (ECAL) Certificate will provide you with the skills to lead and serve early childhood educators, and create sustainable and fiscally healthy early childhood programs. Learn more by registering for a Virtual Information Session.
Program Details
- No prerequisites or prior degree required
- Complete in only 6 months
- Earn 12 units of academic credit
- Online coursework at your convenience
- 4 courses (6 weeks per course)
- $1,170 per course
- Financing available!
This program was designed to be of benefit to the following individuals:
- Childcare providers
- Child Development Specialists
- Child Life Specialists
- Early Childhood teachers
- Owners of in-home child care
- Those seeking to open a childcare center
- Emerging leaders in Early Childhood Education
The ECAL Certificate helps prepare students to:
- Become childcare center owners
- Become childcare site supervisors
- Become entrepreneurs
- Earn leadership positions
- Move up in the Child Development Permit Matrix
The ECAL Certificate Program offers several full scholarships to students who apply and are found eligible. Scholarships are awarded by the Quality Counts California Workforce Development Grant through the California Department of Education (CDE), Early Learning and Care Division and will be paid directly to the University.
To be eligible, recipients must be currently working in the Early Childhood Education sector in San Bernardino County. Applications will be reviewed for eligibility criteria on a first-come, first-served basis. For any questions regarding this scholarship opportunity, please contact Dr. Amy Van Schagen.
To support the success of scholarship recipients, awardees will be expected to participate in the following:
- Creating a workforce registry account in San Bernardino County (if the participant does not already have one)
- Create an educational plan with an advisor
- Meet with a Higher Education Mentor twice throughout the program (via phone or zoom)
- Complete 3 reflective journals during the certificate program
Dr. Amy Van Schagen developed the ECAL Certificate after serving as an Entrepreneurial Faculty Fellow and receiving a Jack H. Brown College of Business & Administration Teaching Innovation Grant at CSUSB. Dr. V conducted research in the community to identify barriers to accessing higher education for early childhood educators. The ECAL certificate is designed to address some of these barriers by providing courses that are online, affordable, applicable for college credit, and taught in the community. The aim of the program is to provide tools for those currently in the field of early childhood education, or those interested in it, to become leaders who feel confident paving the path for young children through an entrepreneurial mindset and social equity lens.
Dr. V is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at CSUSB, and serves as the Program Director for the ECAL Certificate program and the M.A. Child Development program. Prior to receiving her M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, she worked for almost five years as an early childhood teacher. Dr. V has a passion for equity and higher wages in the early childhood workforce, as well as building access for all young children to have high quality early learning experiences. Outside of her career, Dr. V enjoys hiking, running, the beach, playing with her dogs, and spending time with her family.