Nearly 150 future educators will soon be ready to join the teaching ranks now that California State University, Dominguez Hills has awarded them almost a million dollars in scholarship funds through the university’s new Toros Teach LA program.
In this first year of the program, a collaborative effort between the university’s College of Education and College of Health, Human Services and Nursing, 146 CSUDH students who plan to work in early childhood education will receive a total of $935,000 in scholarships.
Funding for the scholarships came from the Ballmer Group’s historic $22 million gift to CSUDH, a bold, multi-year investment announced last August that is intended to tackle the teacher shortage at under-resourced schools in the region.
“The gift from the Ballmer Group illustrates their commitment to the Los Angeles region and CSUDH’s mission,” said College of Education Dean Jessica Zacher Pandya. “These students are the first of many who will be changing the local educational landscape, thanks to our program’s focus on innovation and cultural competence.”
For child development major Angela Williams, the scholarship means extra motivation and financial support in pursuing her degree. Williams has worked as an early childhood educator for 10 years, and currently teaches four- and five-year-olds at L.A. Unified School District’s Locke Early Education Center.
“I’m so grateful to be accepted into the college and be a recipient of this scholarship,” she said. “Teaching is my passion. I never want monetary issues to be the reason for me to drop out of school, and this gives me more security to continue my education.”
Williams’ goal is to earn her master’s degree and become a credentialed Transitional Kindergarten teacher. She has stayed in this field—despite financial challenges—because of her love of the work.
“I do this from the heart because I want to touch a child’s life,” she said. “When you can show a child that they matter, you help them build their ability to trust.
“It’s important because this is their first learning. It all starts here.”
TTLA is designed to facilitate access to the education and training that will prepare Toros for the next steps in their lives and careers. Of this year’s 146 scholarship recipients, 101 are students majoring in Child Development and Liberal Studies, and 45 are enrolling in credential and graduate programs, with plans to teach, counsel, or lead in early childhood contexts.
Faculty at CSUDH have created a new PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential, which will open for applications in Fall 2024, pending approval. Other curricula to holistically prepare future educators, especially students of color, will start in Summer 2024.
