Pam Harris, one of the 12 graduates who has been working in child care on the Peninsula and attending Cañada College, said that the partnership has filled an important need in her community. There is no public, four-year university within 30 miles of Cañada, making it difficult for working professionals and parents to obtain a bachelor's degree or higher.

"Having a full-time job, as well as being a single mother, being able to attend classes in the evening close to home has made all the difference," said Harris, a Redwood City resident who works at Trinity School in Menlo Park. "I am already doing my life's work as an early-childhood professional, but this increases my salary and gives me more professional clout as well as opportunities for positions not available to me prior to having my college degree."

There is a growing need for well-educated child care professionals in California, including San Mateo County, said Janet Egiziano, faculty adviser and off-campus program coordinator of SF State's Child and Adolescent Development Program at Cañada. Egiziano noted the strict state qualifications for varying levels of child care work and proposed initiatives such as Preschool for All, which would likely require a bachelor's degree for teachers and expand access to child care for low-income families.

SF State's Child and Adolescent Development Program at Cañada College offers two emphases: young child and family, and school-age child and family. The program consists of 55-68 upper-division units, including an internship.

Students take courses together, as a group, at the Cañada College's University Center. All are taught by SF State faculty members.

SF State began offering classes at Cañada in 2001. The Child and Adolescent Development Program launched in 2002. To date, 746 SF State students and qualified community college students have taken part in this program on the Cañada College campus.

More information about SF State degree programs offered at Cañada College, including a bachelor of science in nursing, bachelor of science in business administration and executive master of business administration, can be found online San Francisco State University/Cañada College Partnership or by calling (650) 306-3399.

-- Matt Itelson
Photos: Courtesy of Cañada College