California Early Childhood Mentor Program

05/31/2026

🌟 Celebrating Mentor Teachers 🌟
Behind every confident educator is often a mentor who offered guidance, encouragement, and wisdom along the way. Mentor teachers play a vital role in strengthening the early childhood workforce by sharing their expertise, modeling best practices, and helping new professionals grow into effective, reflective educators.

Today, we celebrate the dedicated mentor teachers who invest their time, knowledge, and heart into supporting others. Your leadership creates lasting impacts, not only for the educators you mentor, but for the children, families, and communities they serve.

Thank you for cultivating relationships, building confidence, and inspiring the next generation of early childhood professionals. 💙🍎

Interested in making a difference as a mentor? Learn more at CECMP: https://cecmp.org/

Image Description: A promotional graphic for the California Early Childhood Mentor Program featuring two smiling early childhood education professionals standing beside a conference sign. The graphic highlights collaboration, mentorship, and teamwork in supporting the future of early childhood education.

05/27/2026

Every mentor story matters. 💙

Behind every confident educator is a moment of guidance, encouragement, or belief from someone who showed the way. Mentorship is built in those everyday connections—the conversations, the support, and the shared growth.

✨ Now it’s your turn.

Tell us your story:
• A moment when a mentor made a difference
• A time you supported or inspired someone else
• A lesson that stayed with you

Your voice can inspire, uplift, and strengthen our community.

👇 Drop your story in the comments and help us celebrate the power of mentorship.

👉 Ready to take the next step? Become a mentor: https://cecmp.org/

ProfessionalGrowth ShareYourStory

Image Description: The image features a warm, inviting design with the message “Let Your Voice Be Heard” and a call to share mentor stories. On the right, two individuals embrace in a heartfelt hug, symbolizing connection, trust, and the impact of mentorship. The overall tone encourages reflection, storytelling, and community engagement, inviting educators to share meaningful moments of mentoring and being mentored.

05/21/2026

The joy of leading! 💙

CECMP mentors are making an impact every day by guiding future educators, leading professional learning, and creating spaces where collaboration and curiosity thrive. From hands-on workshops to meaningful discussions, these moments reflect the power of mentorship in action.

At LA Mission College, mentor teachers helped create an engaging and inspiring learning experience, bringing expertise, passion, and real-world practice to over 85 attendees. Their leadership not only supports emerging educators but strengthens the entire early childhood education community.

✨ When mentors lead, everyone grows.
👉 Ready to lead, inspire, and make a difference? Become a mentor teacher: https://cecmp.org/



Image Description: The images showcase early childhood mentor teachers actively leading professional learning experiences at LA Mission College. In one scene, educators gather in a classroom, listening and engaging in discussion as a mentor facilitates learning. In another, participants take part in a hands-on workshop with materials spread across tables, guided by experienced mentors. The environment reflects collaboration, curiosity, and shared growth, highlighting the important role mentor teachers play in developing confident, skilled educators and strengthening the early childhood education community.

05/19/2026

Mentors in Action! 💙

We’re proud to celebrate the incredible early childhood educators of Merced College who continue to uplift, guide, and inspire the next generation of teachers. Through mentorship, collaboration, and a shared commitment to growth, this community is building a strong and inclusive future for early childhood education.

From honoring graduating students to welcoming new mentor teachers, this year’s celebration reflects the power of connection and the impact of investing in one another.

Mentors don’t just support teachers, they shape classrooms, strengthen communities, and expand opportunities for children and families every day.

✨ Join us in celebrating the educators who lead with heart, wisdom, and purpose.

👉 Learn how you can become a mentor and be part of this impactful work: https://cecmp.org/



Image Description: The images highlight a joyful gathering of early childhood educators at a Merced College banquet celebrating students, mentor teachers, and faculty. Groups of educators pose together, smiling and showing a strong sense of community and connection. The event honors accomplishments, welcomes new mentor teachers, and reflects the shared commitment to growth, mentorship, and strengthening the early childhood education field.

05/14/2026

🌟 Mentor Spotlight: Linda Duanas 🌟

Linda’s classroom has become a model of high-quality, equitable early learning, and her mentorship has impacted more than 30 emerging teachers. Colleagues and students alike recognize the care, reflection, and dedication she brings to both her classroom and her community.

Thank you, Linda, for inspiring educators and children every day through your commitment to mentorship and inclusion. 💙



Image Description: A blue and gold “Mentor Spotlight” graphic highlights Linda Duanas, a Mentor Teacher with MJUSD. The image includes a photo of Linda standing outside a classroom and text describing her seven years of mentorship and leadership in creating an exemplary inclusive preschool environment. California Early Childhood Mentor Program branding and website information appear at the bottom.

05/12/2026

ECE Voices Matter

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing is holding a public hearing regarding proposed amendments to Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations pertaining to the Child Development Permit. This is an important opportunity for educators, mentor teachers, students, and community members to stay informed and participate in the conversation.

🗓 Wednesday, May 13, 2026
⏰ 12:00 PM

Attend in person, join by Zoom, or listen by phone. Public input helps strengthen the systems that support the early childhood workforce and the children and families we serve every day.

Learn more and review Coded Correspondence (26-05): https://docs.ctc.ca.gov/Document/Download/31301
🔗 Become an ECE Mentor Teacher & Advocate: https://cecmp.org/



Image Description: Two informational graphics from the California Early Childhood Mentor Program announce a public hearing on proposed amendments to Title 5 regulations related to the Child Development Permit. The first graphic highlights the hearing date and topic with a megaphone illustration and CECMP branding. The second graphic provides participation details, including the Sacramento meeting location, Zoom Meeting ID, phone access numbers, and a reference to Coded Correspondence (26-05).

05/06/2026

Gratitude, connection, and community 💛

We’re still reflecting on the incredible experience at the 2026 CAEYC Annual Conference. From sharing “Mentoring for Change” to connecting with passionate early childhood professionals, this time reminded us of the power of relationships in our field.

Every conversation, shared idea, and new connection strengthens the work we do for children, families, and educators. Together, we are cultivating relationships that inspire growth, mentorship, and meaningful change.

Thank you to everyone who made this experience so impactful. We’re already looking forward to continuing the work, together.

✨ Learn more about our mentoring community: https://cecemp.org/



Image Description: The first image shows a conference presentation slide thanking CAEYC 2026, featuring a presenter at a podium and highlighting a session on mentoring and improving outcomes through peer-to-peer support. The second image is a collage of educators smiling and taking photos together throughout the conference, capturing moments of connection, collaboration, and community building centered around cultivating relationships in early childhood education.

05/05/2026

We know what the problem is. Now's the time to rally together and advocate for change! Hope you can make it.

Next Monday is the 5th Annual Day Without Child Care. To close out the day, you’re invited to a Virtual Rally on May 11th at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT as child care providers, parents, and changemakers from across the country come together to demand a universal child care system that works for every child, every family, and every educator.

We’re excited to share that Erica Williamson Phillips, Executive Director of The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), will be one of the featured guest speakers for this powerful national conversation.

Scan the QR code to RSVP and join us in raising our voices for child care.

Community Change

05/04/2026

Celebrate our teachers 💙

At the California Early Childhood Mentor Program, we honor your dedication, your patience, and your commitment to shaping young lives. Thank you for being mentors, leaders, and champions for children and families.

✨ Interested in supporting the next generation of educators? Learn more: https://cecemp.org/



Image Description: A group of young children sits closely with a teacher as they draw together at a table, smiling and engaged in a shared activity. The image is overlaid with the message “Happy Teacher Appreciation” and a note thanking teachers for their dedication, passion, and hard work. A graphic of stacked books and a graduation cap appears alongside the California Early Childhood Mentor Program logo and a link inviting viewers to learn how to become a mentor.