SF State's Early Child Care and Childhood Education program may receive up to $750,000 next fall from federal earmarks, according to an appropriations request for 2010.

Of the 59 proposals for projects in the 12th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier submitted only 9 requests to the House Committee on Appropriations for 2010 budget legislation, according to Lisbet Sunshine, SF State's director of government relations.

"We are really grateful to Congresswoman Speier for recognizing SF State's important role in developing future generations and really having enough confidence in us to select us as the institution she chose to support," said Sunshine.

If the federal earmarks are approved by the House Committee on Appropriations, the funds will go to both student internships and technology.

"The fact that she's only pushing for 8 means that she'll have more of her personal time to work on these 8," said Lee Blitch, vice president of university advancement.

Funding will be allocated to "video cameras, training time for 36 teaching staff, audio equipment, in the observations rooms, technology equipment, textbooks, and other learning materials" for the Children's Campus, according to Sunshine.

The Children's Campus, a $4 million addition to SF State's campus, serves primarily as a child care service but is also used for research by students in the child and adolescent development department.

In the interest of transparency, Speier explained on her Web site the impacts each earmark will have on the communities within the district.

Concerning SF State's request, Speier's Web site posted, "By having the capacity to have all early care and education students receive their internships at SFSU, in a high quality environment, with expert mentor teachers, we can assure that the workforce for both San Francisco and San Mateo will meet the highest standards for families and children."

Speier's appropriation request seeks more than $12 million total from the federal government.

The nine projects seeking federal funding in the 12th District include a University Center Consortium at San Mateo County Community College District, improvements for Caltrain's signal and communication system, tidal flooding prevention in San Mateo County, and a full-size mobile command vehicle for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

"It doesn't take place of state money -- by any means," said Sunshine. "But it's a nice supplement for things that the state doesn't fund."