Early Care & Education

young children and an adult surrounded by nature

Future career possibilities include:

  • Infant-Toddler Teacher
  • Preschool Teacher
  • Center Director
  • Curriculum Specialist
  • Family Child Care Provider
  • And more!

Starting in Fall 2022, Early Care & Education is a new concentration title that is available for students to pursue. The previous Early Childhood concentration title is still available for current SF State CAD Early Childhood students.

The concentration in Early Care & Education is for students who wish to work primarily with young children (infants, toddlers and preschoolers) and their families in settings such as child care centers and preschools. This concentration is aligned with the California Child Development Permit (the teaching credential for preschool and younger) and the Early Childhood Special Education graduate program at SF State. ​

Admissions

  • Current SF State Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Returning SF State Students
  1. View the Change of Major or Minor Guide for steps on how to request to change your major. During the request process, you will be prompted to select the "Requested College" – please choose "38 CHSS". Please be sure to select the correct CAD major concentration that you want to pursue (there are various concentrations).
  2. After you submit your request, the CAD Department will review your request. If we find that you have more than 96 units completed, we may request that you meet with an advisor to ensure switching your major is in your best interest. Additionally, if you are a lower division student and you have less than a 2.0GPA, we may request that you reapply after bringing up your GPA to at least a 2.0.
  3. A welcome letter will be sent to your SF State email account & your request will be confirmed.

We highly recommend that students declare CAD as their major before starting their junior year (before completing 60 units).

Please visit the Undergraduate Admissions website for current and detailed information on how to apply to SF State and to view important dates and deadlines.

When applying to SF State, please select Child & Adolescent Development as yourprimary major. Also, please be sure to indicate which concentration of CAD you would like to pursue.

Tips for Transfer Students:

  • Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT)
    The following ADTs have been approved for all CAD majors:
    • AA-T in Child and Adolescent Development
    • AS-T in Early Childhood Education
    • AA-T in Elementary Teacher Education
  • Some community college courses can fulfill CAD major requirements. Please visit ASSIST.ORG for current articulation agreements. We recommend that upper-division transfer students complete equivalent CAD 210 and CAD 260 courses at their community college before transferring (not required).

We look forward to welcoming you back to SF State! Please visit the Registrar's website for next steps on how to return to SF State.

Requirements

  • Degree Progress Report
  • Bulletin

Your Degree Progress Report (DPR) is an important tool that evaluates where you stand with all of your graduation requirements - General Education, University-Wide, and Major Requirements.

Please visit the appropriate SF State Bulletin Year for the degree requirements of the bachelor of arts in Child & Adolescent Development: Concentration in Early Childhood or Child & Adolescent Development: Concentration in Early Care & Education. Current CAD majors can find their bulletin year at the top of their Degree Progress Report (DPR).

  • Early Care & Education 2022-2023 Degree Requirements
  • Early Childhood 2022-2023 Degree Requirements
  • Students following earlier "Bulletin" requirements can access the appropriate year using this link: Previous Bulletins.

A grade of C or higher (C- is not accepted) is required for all courses in the Child and Adolescent Development major including core and concentration.

Courses

SF State Scholars (Blended Bachelor's + Master's + Credential) Program

The San Francisco State Scholars program provides undergraduate students with an accelerated pathway to a graduate degree and credential. Graduates of this integrated program will be able will be able to complete their BA in Child and Adolescent Development (Early Care and Education), MA in Special Education, and preliminary credential in Early Childhood Special Education in 5 years (including summer). To learn more, please visit the SPED SF State Scholars website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I'm currently in the Early Childhood concentration, can I change to the new Early Care & Education concentration?

Yes, you can request to change your major on your student center. View the Major & Minor Change Guide for steps on how to change your major.

If you have already completed CAD 450 in the CAD core major requirements, please email cad@sfsu.edu to request to course substitute CAD 450 for the new CAD 411 requirement.

Can I get the CA Child Development Permit with this concentration?

Yes, students in the Early Childhood and Early Care & Education concentrations can qualify for different levels of the CA Child Development Permit based on their specific coursework history and field experiences. We highly encourage current students to use the Early Childhood Recommended Courses for CA Child Development Permit document that is included in their CAD Major Planning Worksheet (please see above). For more information about Child Development Permits, including funding, resources and support for permit applications – please visit our CA Child Development Permit webpage.

I want to teach Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten (TK), which CAD concentration should I declare?

If you want to be a public general education Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten (TK) school teacher, we recommend declaring the CAD Elementary Education Teaching Pre-Credential concentration and the minor in Early Childhood Development.

If you want to obtain the Early Childhood Special Education Credential (ECSE), to be able to work with young children with disabilities from birth through kindergarten, we recommend declaring the CAD Early Care & Education concentration.

I want to work with young children, but I know I don't want to be a preschool teacher, which CAD concentration should I declare?

If you want to work in classroom setting (but as a supervisor, director, or owner of a family childcare facility), we recommend reviewing the Early Care & Education concentration.

If you want to work outside the classroom (e.g, counselor, Child Life Specialist, social worker), we recommend reviewing the Community, Health, & Social Services concentration.

If you are still unsure, we recommend meeting with a CAD Faculty Advisor.

How can I meet with a CAD Faculty Advisor?

What are the requirements for SF State admissions?

Who can I talk to about applying to SF State?

What is the maximum number of units I can transfer to SF State?

You may transfer no more than 70-semester units to a CSU campus from an institution which does not offer bachelor's degrees or their equivalents, e.g., community colleges. Given the university's 30-unit residency requirement, you may transfer no more than 90 total units into the university from all sources.

How can I double check to see which of my community college General Education (G.E.) courses will transfer to SF State?

General education requirements are the same for all CSU campuses, so California community college articulations of general education courses (about one third of degree requirements) are handled centrally and may be accessed at ASSIST.

Can I take courses at a community college to count towards my CAD major?

Yes – students can take articulated equivalents of some of the CAD major courses at California Community Colleges. You can visit the ASSIST website to view the articulation agreement between SF State and your specific Community College.
For the Early Care & Education concentration, there are community college equivalent courses for CAD 210, CAD 260, and CAD 215.