The National Hispanic University Partners With Cañada College to Offer Child Development Program

Partnership gives early childhood education students the opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s degree






Dr David Lopez (L), president of The National Hispanic University, and Dr. Lawrence Buckley, president of Cañada College, sign an agreement Monday, June 17 that creates a partnership between the schools to offer NHU's Bachelor of Arts in Child Development at the Cañada College University Center. Classes for the degree begin this fall and will be taught by NHU's award-winning faculty. Early Childhood Education is the largest academic program at Cañada College and the partnership with NHU gives students the opportunity to earn a bachelors degree without leaving Cañada.

The National Hispanic University (NHU) and the San Mateo Community College District’s Cañada College announced today a partnership to offer NHU’s Bachelor of Arts in Child Development program at Cañada College in Redwood City, Calif., beginning fall 2013. The partnership expands access to a four-year degree completion for early childhood professionals who are looking to strengthen their knowledge base and skills while continuing their important work in the field.

“As early childhood programs and schools become more diverse, there is a growing demand for culturally and linguistically responsive professionals who can inspire and engage young learners and their parents,” said Dr. David P. López, president of NHU. “We are proud to partner with Cañada College to extend the educational opportunities offered to their students and help them advance their careers and address the needs in today’s multicultural classrooms.”

“We're proud to welcome The National Hispanic University as our newest University Center partner,” said Cañada College President Larry Buckley. “Early childhood education is among the largest academic programs on our campus. Approximately 500 students were registered for early childhood education classes at Cañada this past spring. Many of those students are juggling academics with families and jobs. Offering the convenience of earning a bachelor’s degree without leaving the Cañada campus provides them a wonderful opportunity.” 

The partnership will allow students from Cañada College who are near graduation or have completed their Associate in Science in Early Childhood Education the opportunity to enroll in NHU’s B.A. in Child Development program and complete their bachelor’s degree on Cañada’s campus. Students can choose from a variety of concentrations, including Early Biliteracy Development, Early Intervention, School-Age and a Dual Concentration in Early Intervention and Early Biliteracy Development, which are designed to prepare today’s early childhood education professionals for emerging opportunities in the field.

The B.A. in Child Development program reflects the competencies and guidelines established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It is also structured to meet the State of California Child Development Permit Matrix requirements for employment in preschools, child development centers and after-school sites.

Students enrolling in NHU’s program will benefit from a minimized time-to-degree completion via Cañada’s A2B program, an accelerated associate to bachelor’s degree initiative that offers an evening and weekend format as well as maximized transferability of courses.

For additional information about The National Hispanic University and partnership with Cañada College, visit http://www.nhu.edu/canadacollege.