PEACH Mission Statement
The mission of PEACH is to strengthen and support academic professional development pathways and related educational programs for the early childhood (EC) workforce throughout California to support children’s learning, growth, and family engagement. We commit to actively work for equitable and anti-racist structures in higher education and to support the early childhood workforce, children, and families.
We commit to:
(1) creating brave spaces for higher education faculty, teachers in training and students, to share and explore the impact of institutionalized racism on their own personal and professional development and identity;
(2) educating our students to challenge inequitable policies and practices in the workplace and in society especially as they impact; Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI), Black, Children with special needs, Dual Language Learners (DLL), Elderly, Indigenous, Immigrant, Latinx, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA), and Women and other marginalized communities; and
(3) empowering our students and faculty with the knowledge and skills needed to advocate for complete and equitable access to high-quality early care, education, and related resources for all children and families.
Our Priorities's
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Priority 1: PEACH will engage in transformative collaboration with IHE and agency partners to support and strengthen early childhood higher education system preparation of a highly effective early childhood workforce.
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Priority 2: PEACH will identify and influence the characteristics of high quality early childhood educational degrees, credentials, certificates and certification.
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Priority 3: PEACH will influence accessible and equitable early childhood higher educational pathways for all students.
Meet PEACH's Co-Consultants & Director
Toni Isaacs, M.A.
Has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She has worked in the field of ECE for over 25 years in a variety of positions including ECE teacher and center director, parent educator, mentor, early interventionist, and Adjunct Faculty member of Child Development at Moorpark Community College and adjunct faculty in the Master’s Degree Program in ECE at California State University, Northridge. She began PEACH since the inception of PEACH in 2011, as the PEACH Program Coordinator. She currently represents PEACH as a member of the Los Angeles QRIS Architects Group, the Los Angeles Child Care Planning Committee, and One LA-AIF.
Janet Fish, Ed.D.
Holds an Ed.D. in Early Childhood and Developmental Studies. Jan has over 40 years of experience working in Early Care and Education (ECE). She has taught and directed in early childhood center programs and has served as higher education faculty member at several community colleges and as a faculty member and Coordinator of both the BA in Child Development and the MA in Early Childhood Education at California State University Northridge for more than 30 years. She has held three Fulbright awards in ECE in two countries and has presented and/or taught in Spanish and in English in seven countries. Jan served as the Lead Consultant for PEACH for its first five years (2011-2016) and currently serves on the California Core Team developing a state implementation plan for higher education in response to the IOM report, Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8.
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Nancy Hurlbut, Ph.D.
Holds a Ph.D. in Life-Span Human Development from the University of Wisconsin Madison and is presently the Associate Dean at Cal Poly Pomona. For over 35 years, she has been a faculty member and administrator in Early Childhood/Child Development at research one higher education institutes in two countries and four U.S. states. She has been the Director of The Child Development Lab Coordinator of the Early Childhood (EC) Credential Program and was a CSU faculty member who helped develop the initial CAP 8 courses and the CA ECE Competency Mapping Tool. Nancy was a member of the CTC Child Development Permit Advisory Panel has worked on many state task forces that were tasked to develop new standards for EC teacher preparation. She is also a member of California Core Team working on the state plan for Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth through Age 8.
Meet PEACH Partners
PEACH (Partnerships for Education, Articulation, and Coordination through Higher Education) is a cross-sector, cross-segmental higher education systems’ initiative. The PEACH collaborative includes cross-sector 2-year, 4-year and graduate level EC/CD program faculty partners as well as representatives from allied professional development programs, professional organizations, and advocacy organizations interested in collaborating to accomplish PEACH goals. The mission of PEACH is to strengthen and support academic professional development pathways and related educational programs for the early childhood (EC) workforce throughout California in order to support children’s learning, growth, and family engagement.
PEACH began in 2011 as one of First 5 LA’s funded components of the Los Angeles Early Care and Education Workforce Consortium. The PEACH LA collaborative includes early childhood/child development (EC/CD) faculty representatives from 25 Los Angeles County institutions of higher education (IHEs) including 15 community colleges, 6 California State Universities, 3 private universities, and UCLA Extension Early Childhood Education Program. Through PEACH’s collaborative, inclusive approach over the last seven years, PEACH has reached out to various stakeholders and widened its circle to include over 60 organizations, and 400 PEACH convening participants.
While PEACH’s original sole geographic area has been LA County, PEACH’s work often involves promoting retention or modification of statewide policies that impact EC workforce preparation and professional development. Thanks to funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, PEACH has expanded to the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay areas. PEACH proposes to continue to invite expanded collaboration across California. PEACH North collaborative includes early childhood/child development (EC/CD) faculty members from 24 Northern California institutions of higher education (IHEs) to date, including 18 community colleges, 5 California State University campuses, and UC Berkeley.
PEACH Partners Include Faculty from the Following IHEs
Allan Hancock College
American Jewish University
American River College
Antelope Valley College
Brandman University
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly San Louis Obispo
Canada College
Cerritos College
Chabot College
City College San Francisco
College of Marin
College of the Canyons
Consumnes River College
CSU Chancellor’s Office
CSU, Channel Islands
CSU, Dominguez Hills
CSU, East Bay
CSU, Fresno
CSU, Fullerton
CSU, Long Beach
CSU, Los Angeles
CSU, Monterey Bay
CSU, Northridge
CSU, Sacramento
CSU, San Diego
CSU, San Francisco
CSU, San Jose
CSU, Sonoma
Cuesta College
Diablo Valley College
East Los Angeles College
El Camino College
Folsom Lake College
Fresno City College
Glendale Community College
Hartnell College
Las Positas College
Long Beach City College
Los Angeles Mission College
Los Angeles Pierce College
Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles Trade Tech College
Los Angeles Valley College
Los Medanos College
Merritt College
Moorpark College
Mt. San Antonio College
Norco College
Ohlone College
Pacific Oaks College
Pasadena City College
Pepperdine University
Rio Hondo College
Sacramento City College
San Diego City College
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego Miramar College
San Joaquin Delta
San Jose State University
San Francisco City College
San Francisco State University
Santa Ana College
Santa Monica College
Santiago Canyon College
Sierra College
Skyline College
Solano College
Sonoma State University
UC Berkeley
UCLA Extension
University of La Verne
Union Institute & University - Los Angeles Academic Center
Ventura College