Early Childhood Education in Texas

Latest Developments

Texas Head Start Collaboration Office (THSCO) (April 2013)

Texas Early Childhood Program Standards Comparison Tool
The Texas Early Childhood Program Standards Comparison Tool is a searchable database of early childhood program standards, categorized by topic. Federal and state program standards, as well as other national and state program accreditations, are included in the tool. The goal of the tool is to provide information about various program standards and accreditations to support increased collaboration among early childhood programs.

Texas Early Learning Council (March 2013)

The new Texas Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines are available now! The Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles can be found at the ITELG Initiative page.
Texas Infant, Toddler, and Three-Year-Old Early Learning Guidelines

Texas Early Learning Council (January 2013)

The new Texas Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners and Administrators are available now! The Core Competencies are statements about the knowledge and skills that early childhood professionals should be able to demonstrate to be successful in their careers. The Core Competencies are a critical piece of the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System.
Texas Core Competencies for Early Childhood Practitioners and Administrators

Kindergarten Readiness System-PreK Center of Excellence Designations for 2012 (November 2012)

The Texas Education Agency (TEA), in partnership with Regional Education Service Center (ESC) 17 have made designations to providers participating in the 2010-2011 Prekindergarten Early Start (PKES) grant and Texas School Ready! programs.
PreK Center of Excellence List for 2012 (Outside Source)

Compliance with Kindergarten Reading Assessment Data Submission (TEC §28.006) (September 2012)

To The Administrator Addressed Letter
Kindergarten Readiness System (KRS) Kindergarten Online Data Entry (Outside Source)
Webex Training (Outside Source)
Kindergarten User/Help Guide (Outside Source)

Prekindergarten Prepares

Start Early. Finish Strong. Picture Prekindergarten Prepares is a new website with resources for parents and educators. The parent site includes: benefits, eligibility, a healthy child and find a school. The educator site includes: a toolkit to provide outreach materials for schools and communities, best practices, advice, and the prekindergarten guidelines.

Quality Early Childhood Education

The agency supports high-quality early learning that promotes kindergarten school readiness for Texas children. The State of Texas is invested in the identification and dissemination of well researched early childhood education instructional strategies. Supported through key partnerships with the Regional Education Service Centers, the Texas Early Learning Council, numerous licensed child care programs, including Head Start, Texas continues to raise the bar for quality early learning. This includes laying the foundation for all investments through the adoption of the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (PKG), which emphasize research-based instructional strategies that are developmentally appropriate. Intended to support all students, these guidelines also work to inform teachers in addressing the specific needs of English language learners and students with disabilities.