Frequently Asked Questions

香蕉视频 currently offers a 24-unit CBE certificate in Early Childhood Education (ECE), which launched in Fall 2025. This flexible, self-paced program is designed for students who want to demonstrate mastery of skills and knowledge while balancing work, family, and other commitments.

As new certificates and associate degree programs become available in a CBE format, they will be added to this page.

Think of a course as a “cluster” of learning – a set of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to a topic.
A competency is a clear, measureable subset of those knowledge, skills, and abilities that can be assessed with a single assessment.
The faculty have worked to “deconstruct” their regular courses into multiple competencies.
For example:

Traditional Course	Competency Equivalents
ECE 17: Principles and Practices 3-unit course Course description: "This course is an examination of the historical contexts and theoretical perspectives of developmentally appropriate practice in early care and education for children from birth through age eight. Students will explore the typical roles and expectations of early childhood educators and identify professional ethics, career pathways, and professional standards. This course includes an introduction to best practices for developmentally appropriate learning environments, curriculum, and effective pedagogy for young children including how play contributes to children's learning, growth, and development.”	ECE 1CB: History of Early Childhood Education 1 unit Student will be able to identify the historical roots of early childhood education and compare and contrast different ECE theoretical perspectives and philosophies, differentiate between various types of settings in relation to the ages served, regulations, and teacher requirements. ECE 2CB: Theory and Practice 1 unit Student will be able to identify supports for first and dual-language learners in developing English language and literacy skills including support for the home language, explain how theories of learning and development guide early childhood environment design, curriculum, and teaching strategies, explain the ongoing curriculum cycle of observation, planning, implementation, and assessment, and compare and contrast principles of positive guidance and interactions. ECE 3CB: Professional Roles 1 unit Student will be able to identify the roles and responsibilities of an early childhood educator for curriculum and teaching, family engagement, ethical practice, and professional interactions with others in the classroom, and develop an initial personal philosophy of early childhood teaching.

Traditional Course

Competency Equivalents

ECE 17: Principles and Practices

3-unit course

Course description: "This course is an examination of the historical contexts and theoretical perspectives of developmentally appropriate practice in early care and education for children from birth through age eight. Students will explore the typical roles and expectations of early childhood educators and identify professional ethics, career pathways, and professional standards. This course includes an introduction to best practices for developmentally appropriate learning environments, curriculum, and effective pedagogy for young children including how play contributes to children's learning, growth, and development.”

ECE 1CB: History of Early Childhood Education

1 unit

Student will be able to identify the historical roots of early childhood education and compare and contrast different ECE theoretical perspectives and philosophies, differentiate between various types of settings in relation to the ages served, regulations, and teacher requirements.

ECE 2CB: Theory and Practice

1 unit

Student will be able to identify supports for first and dual-language learners in developing English language and literacy skills including support for the home language, explain how theories of learning and development guide early childhood environment design, curriculum, and teaching strategies, explain the ongoing curriculum cycle of observation, planning, implementation, and assessment, and compare and contrast principles of positive guidance and interactions.

ECE 3CB: Professional Roles

1 unit

Student will be able to identify the roles and responsibilities of an early childhood educator for curriculum and teaching, family engagement, ethical practice, and professional interactions with others in the classroom, and develop an initial personal philosophy of early childhood teaching.

For Early Childhood Education, students will be registered in three competencies and can work on those competencies simultaneously.
Once all three competencies are mastered, students will be registered in the next set of three competencies, and so on.

Students will have the opportunity to utilize a variety of formative assessments (“practice activities”) to practice their understanding of what they are learning. These practice activities will be reviewed by faculty, and students will receive feedback to help them better prepare for the final assessment.
Each competency will have a single, summative (“final”) assessment. This assessment could be a paper, a project, a video recorded demonstration, a portfolio, or other appropriate assessment of the student’s learning. The summative assessment will be the only assessment formally evaluated by faculty for mastery.

“Mastery” means that you have achieved the ability to apply your knowledge, skills, and abilities for that competency to a level of 80%.
“Mastery+” means that you have reached a 90% level of competency.
Each competency and evaluative mark (“Mastery” or “Mastery+”) will be recorded on your competency transcript.
When you have reached Mastery for all the competencies associated with a traditional course, then the traditional credit course will be posted to your standard transcript, with an equivalent letter grade (“B” or “A”).

In traditional courses, all assignments are required on specific dates set by the instructor, whether you are ready for that exam or not. Assignments and deadlines don’t wait even if you have a family or work emergency.
In CBE, you consult with your instructor to determine which formative assessment learning activities are going to be the most useful to your learning experience. You decide when you are ready to attempt your summative final assessment. If you need a few days or even a week off from school to deal with something in your life, you can take it! And you won’t fall behind.
In your first meeting with your CBE Counselor, you’ll discuss the idea of “walk-jog-run” – how much time do you have in your life to devote to your learning, and, based on familiarity with the content, how quickly or slowly do you think you will be able to move through the content.
You control your learning journey!

Each competency has a unit value, and the cost is $46/unit, just like traditional courses.
Students will be charged the Student Health Fee ($27/semester) and the Campus Center Fee ($20.50/semester).

Yes. Students enrolled in a CBE program may be eligible to use a variety of state and federal financial aid options, depending on individual eligibility.

College Promise Grant (CCPG): Eligible students may use the CCPG to waive the $46 per-unit enrollment fee by completing the CCPG application, FAFSA, or CADAA.
State Grants: Students may use grant funding offered through the California Student Aid Commission, including Cal Grant and Chafee Grant, if they qualify through the FAFSA or CADAA.
Federal Financial Aid: 香蕉视频’s CBE program has been approved for federal financial aid, including the Pell Grant and other eligible federal aid programs, for qualifying students.
Scholarships: We continue to explore and develop scholarship opportunities specifically for 香蕉视频 CBE students.

If you have questions about your eligibility or want help understanding your options, we encourage you to contact the CBE staff for personalized guidance.

CBE will be offered in a fully online format (with the exception of one ECE competency that requires a student to work/volunteer in-person at a qualifying early childhood education setting).
Access to a laptop or other device and the internet will be critical to your success in the program.
If you do not have a laptop, the 香蕉视频 Library has a Chromebook lending program.

香蕉视频 launched its first Competency-Based Education (CBE) pathway in Fall 2025 with the 24-unit Early Childhood Education (ECE) Certificate. This program is designed primarily for students who are already working in an ECE setting and want to complete additional units to advance in their field.

CBE offers multiple entry points aligned with the academic calendar. In general, students may begin:

At the start of the semester (Fall, Spring, or Summer), or
Approximately 8 weeks into the semester, depending on availability and readiness.

These flexible start options are designed to support working students while maintaining academic structure. To determine the best option for you, please Contact Us.

The Competency-Based Education (CBE) Early Childhood Education Certificate is designed for individuals who are currently working in an early childhood education setting and are interested in completing additional units to support career growth. If you are exploring your options and wondering whether CBE might be a good fit, we encourage you to reach out.

To get started:

Contact Us to connect with the CBE Department and ask questions about the program.
Review the steps outlined on “How to Become a CBE Student” to learn more about the process and what to expect.

If you’re not sure yet whether you meet all the requirements, that’s okay. Our team is happy to talk through your situation, discuss possible options, and help you determine next steps.

After you complete the CBE Orientation, CBE Intake Form, and meet with the CBE Counselor, the Counselor will create a personalized education plan for you.
Please do NOT register yourself; the CBE staff will reach out to you about your registration.
The CBE staff will register you in your “competency set.” The competency set is a combination of a unique section of a traditional credit course and the aligned competencies.

No. Federal regulations prohibit a student taking CBE and non-CBE within the same term. Our campus is in the process of developing general education CBE so that students will be able to take major and general education competencies at the same time, but we anticipate we will not have those completed until Spring 2027 at the earliest.