In this episode, several members of the founding team of the CSU SPARK Early Childhood (EC) Hub come together to share the story behind this groundbreaking hub — how it began, why it matters, and what it means for the future of early learning in California.
SPARK EC Voices Ep 1: “Systemness is our Superpower”
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Spark EC Voices podcast, the place where knowledge meets action in early childhood education. We're so glad you're here. This show is brought to you by the Spark EC Hub, and that's the California State University System wide partnership for advancing research and knowledge in early childhood education.
Our first podcast “Systemness is our Superpower” Igniting Innovation where knowledge meets action in early childhood education. Today, we're talking about how the California State University SPARK, “Systemness is our Superpower,” Igniting Innovation, Early Childhood Hub was created, what it is, how it came to life, and why it matters. I'm joined by several of the founding members who helped bring the Spark Hub to life.
Let's start with some quick introductions. I am Doctor Hilary Seitz, the director of the Educator and Leadership Programs at the California State University Chancellor's Office and the co-director of the SPARK EC Hub, as well as one of the hosts of the SPARK EC Voices podcast series. I'm here with the other founders of the Spark EC Hub.
I am Doctor Lindsay Meeker, assistant professor of early childhood, and this year I'm excited to be PK-3 course designing, teaching and coaching. I'm also the faculty co-director for spark and loving it.
And I'm Doctor Oona Fontanella. I'm an assistant professor in the Department of Child Development at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and I'm also co-director of Toros Teach LA in Early Childhood initiative we have here at our campus.
Hi everybody. I am Denise Kennedy. I am a professor and department chair for the Early Childhood Studies department at Cal Poly Pomona, and we are currently working on creating our Pk3 credential.
We have a few other founders who couldn't be with us today. They are Doctor Jenny Chiappe of California State University, Dominguez Hills, Doctor Emily Slusser from San Jose State University and Doctor Ruth Piker from Cal State Long Beach.
To get us started, I'd love to hear from our founders in just one word or phrase. What sparks your passion for this project? Denise, you could help us with that first.
Sure. The passion project, I believe. that's really important to me is being able to prepare our early childhood educators from birth to third grade and preparing them pedagogically to teach our youngest learners in California. Great. Thank you. How about you Oona? Something that is really, passion for me in early childhood is thinking about social justice work in early childhood. So how do we do this work with our youngest learners? How do we encourage them to work towards a more equitable future?
And how about you, Lyndsay? one of the passions that really drives me in early childhood is thinking about play and how much it really, truly helps develop all early childhood skills and making sure that's out there front and center that children and adults in early childhood should be playful.
Great. I love hearing those sparks. So let's start with some of the basics. Please share. What is the SPARK EC Hub?
SPARK stands for systemwide partnerships for advancing research and Knowledge in Early Childhood. It's a centralized, statewide hub for collaboration, research, and innovation within the CSU's extensive network of early childhood educators, including our partners from the California Community College System and our other community partners. To advance high-quality education preparation. To strengthen the teacher pipeline for PK -3 and birth through age eight. Educators by fostering innovation, coherent, equity-driven approaches to recruitment, preparation and retention, and to help elevate the status and coherence of the early childhood profession.
It's really a digital home base. It's a collaborative space where we can all co-create and share accessible curriculum resources. We can conduct research together, as well as promote innovative practices that are aligned with the California's PK-3 vision.
Thank you. So what makes the SPARK EC Hub special?
Well, the SPARK EC Hub is built by and for, CSU faculty and their partners. It's grounded in a collaborative approach, cultural responsiveness and inclusiveness, and to meet the real needs of early educators across the state of California. So you've mentioned that the SPARK EC Hub is more than just a platform. It's really a systemwide partnership.
Can you explain the main focus areas or the arms of the hub?
Absolutely, Hilary. The CSU hub is organized around these three interconnected arms that all guide our work. The first is research and knowledge development, which brings CSU faculty together to generate and share research that informs policy and practice in all early learning. The second is accessible and equitable curriculum practices focused on creating and sharing open educational resources and inclusive, transfer friendly curriculum aligned with California's PK-3 credential. And the third is Knowledge Sharing, which connects people and ideas through things like communities of practice, podcasts, annual convenings, and digital storytelling to build collaboration and innovation across campuses. Together, these things make Spark a living network that strengthens educator preparation and advances equity statewide in early childhood.
Now that we know what the SPARK EC Hub is, let's talk about why it was created in the first place. Let's dig into what inspired this systemwide partnership.
California currently is at a pivotal moment in early childhood education, with the new PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist credential that was approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. We saw an urgent need to strengthen as well as unify how educators are prepared to teach and care for young children across settings in California.
So what challenges in the field make this kind of collaboration necessary?
The early childhood field has been fragmented and bifurcated in California into different systems, pathways and preparation models across child development, early education, and then teaching preparation programs as well. The Spark Hub was created to bridge those silos and bring coherence to the profession.
So in many ways, the Spark Hub is responding to both opportunities and the need.
Exactly. The California master plan for early learning and care. Call for a united, professionalized, early learning workforce. The SPARK EC Hub answers that call by connecting CSU faculty and partners to strengthen preparation, policy and practice statewide.
But what role does the CSU system play in that bigger picture?
The CSU system is the largest educator of teachers in California, and we have both the responsibility and the capacity to lead. The SPARK EC Hub leverages the collective expertise from 22 CSU campuses, our one hundred and fifteen community colleges that we work with, as well as our community partners, to build a stronger, more equitable early learning pipeline.
What are some of the key goals that came out of this vision?
So, the SPARK EC Hub is really focused on three big ideas or areas. First is unifying early childhood education, child development and teacher education focused upon young children through shared professional identity and curriculum. The second is really strengthening the PK-3, teacher pipeline with equitable, coherent pathways. And the third is elevating the early childhood profession through collaboration, research and policy influence.
How does this tie into equity and California's diverse population?
Well, Hilary, in California, sixty percent of young children are multilingual learners. The SPARK EC hub is designed to ensure that all teacher preparation is culturally and linguistically responsive. So, every child from birth to eight and their families can thrive in inclusive, high-quality learning environments that celebrate their language, identities, and the whole child. So, walk us through how the SPARK EC Hub came to life.
What did that process look like?
You know, it really started as a conversation in our community of practice meeting, where a group of faculty were really brainstorming on how to support each other across our campuses. We quickly realized that we needed something that could grow not just a website, but a living hub that reflected the shared expertise of the community and beyond. Okay, so the Spark Hub sounds like it has a lot of momentum right now. What comes next? Tell us about the future of the Spark Hub. The feedback has been amazing so far. Faculty are using spark accessible curriculum modules to align coursework from the COLLAB in early literacy as well as early math, and we're sharing resources and building stronger early learning communities across our systems.
And that's just really the beginning. We're adding new tools and spotlights, research features, and other collaborative features to help the CSU system stay connected and innovative.
Before we close, I'd love to hear one final thought. What's your biggest hope for the Spark Hub's impact? How do you want to be involved in leading this space?
So, I'd like to share that I'm really excited for opportunities for meaningful research collaboration to make an impact in early childhood throughout California.
Great. Thank you. How about you, Denise?
I'm excited. In the hopes of changing how we prepare teachers to teach our youngest learners in primary grades. And I think that if we can build this in a way that impacts, I think school districts will see the value of having early childhood as the center and the base for learning and development across their trajectory of education.
Great. Thank you. And how about you, Lindsey?
I love that, Denise. I'm excited to see how it can nurture and connect early childhood expertise and advocacy statewide amongst CSU faculty, but also beyond right with our partners in the community, advocacy organizations and the teachers in the field. That's amazing.
I want to thank all of you, all of the SPARK EC hub founders for sharing your story and telling us about how this was developed and why it's so important you're creating something that's already making a difference today and will tomorrow in early childhood education in California.
To learn more, please visit the CSU SPARK EC hub online and join the movement to transform early learning through collaboration and innovation.
Because every idea starts with a spark!