Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., released a report today which examines the urgent need for a preschool teacher workforce in California that effectively addresses the needs of Latino children. The issue brief, Achieving a High-Quality Preschool Teacher Corps: A Focus on California, examines the state’s current situation and makes recommendations for how state leaders can ensure that California has a diverse, well-prepared preschool teacher workforce.

“Building a well-educated, diverse teacher workforce is not easy, but it can, and must, be done,” said Janet Murguia, President and CEO of NCLR. “There are promising efforts under way in California, and we want to encourage more concentrated investment. For preschool to work in California, the system has to work for Latino children and their families. If Latinos do not succeed in school, then the school system in California does not succeed.”

California is one of the few states that publicly finances preschool but does not require teachers to hold a college degree or to adhere to a core set of skills and competencies. Specifically, NCLR recommends that the state build on the skills of its current teachers, develop an aggressive recruitment strategy within diverse communities, and create an educational infrastructure that helps people from these communities meet higher teacher degree requirements.

“Nowhere is the discussion about preschool education more important than in California, which is home to one million children who are eligible for preschool, nearly half of whom are Latino,” said Murguia. “Unfortunately, too few Latino children in California attend preschool and gain the skills necessary to succeed in school. It is critical that we work to change this situation and make quality preschool a reality for all children.”

The report was released during the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) 2005 Annual Conference in the Los Angeles Convention Center. The CABE Annual Conference is recognized nationwide for offering premier professional development for educating English language learners. CABE is an NCLR affiliate; both organizations are part of a campaign to expand preschool education opportunities in California.

For a copy of the NCLR issue brief, Achieving a High-Quality Preschool Teacher Corps: A Focus on California, please go to www.nclr.org or call Miriam Calderón at (202) 785-1670 or Ana Gámiz at (916) 448-9852.

For more information on the issue brief, click here to download a backgrounder.

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