Talk Of Texas

Throughout the year, TECEC will highlight the tremendous early childhood education efforts taking place across the great state of Texas.  Every community has its own story to tell and TECEC wants to make sure that these stories are available to all who want to learn from them.

Educational First Steps
Since 1990, Educational First Steps has helped to strengthen and improve the educational lives of thousands of disadvantaged young children in the Dallas Metroplex. As a nonprofit supported by a committed business and philanthropic community, EFS has worked hard to partner with local child care centers, mostly from the low-income areas, to provide educational assistance through teacher and director training, providing quality materials, encouraging family involvement in a child’s life, and empowering centers to gain more resources. Through these efforts, EFS is continuing to nurture the needs of children and families as well as enhance the future of North Texas.

For a complete write-up of Educational First Steps, please click here .

Spring Branch Independent School District
Dedication to providing quality education and valuing the future of its children are a couple of the many hallmarks of Spring Branch ISD. For over 20 years, SBISD has served as a pioneer in offering a nurturing, high-quality, and developmentally appropriate prekindergarten program for families in its community. Spring Branch is committed to providing quality early education to its children by developing uniquely designed Early Learning Centers, collaborating with local entities, and continuing to offer full-day pre-k classes in 15 of its elementary schools.

For a complete write-up on Spring Branch Independent School District please click here.

Lubbock’s High-Quality Early Childhood Education Infrastructure
The Lubbock community is being highlighted for its amazing collaboration efforts. Nested throughout the Lubbock community are several “gems” that represent high-quality opportunities for families and children.  Just a few of the highlighted initiative and entities include United Way Success By 6, the Texas Tech University Early Head Start Program, the Vanda Early Learning Center, Mahon Early Childhood Center, the Child Development Research Center (CDRC), and the Covenant Child Development Center.

For a complete write-up on Lubbock, please click here.
 
Young Learners School in Houston, Texas
The Young Learners School in Houston, Texas, has operated as a charter school sponsored by the Houston Independent School District (HISD) since 2001. The Young Learners School works to prepare children to enter kindergarten on a comparable level with their peers through a unique collaborative model between school districts, Head Start, the community, and child care centers, and attracts the best teachers from all over the world to get the job done.

For a complete write-up on the Young Learners School, please click here.  

If you have any questions about the “Talk of Texas” series, please contact Rio Romero, Research & Public Policy Coordinator at rromero@tecec.org or 512.476.7939.