Children’s Learning Institute Announces 2011 Texas School Ready Certifications

Texas School Ready® is a program that certifies teachers who effectively prepare their early education students to enter kindergarten.

The following Aldine ISD teachers received 2011 Texas School Ready! Certifications: Christina Zepeda, Hilda Martínez, Maggie Salvo, Martha Herrera and Yvonne Sheikh of de Santiago EC/PK Center; Alesha Chellam, Andrea Barnes, Beatrice Stair, Dena Aguilar, Elena Carrell, Katrina Nesbitt, María Contreras, Mirtha Martínez, Mónica Sánchez, Nicole Beer, Roberto Zamora, Sally Gonzales, Sandra Hernández, Sylvia González, Wendy Wu, Whitney Worster, and Yolanda Martínez of García-Leza EC/PK Center; Jennifer Boyce, Jill Charrier, Lacy Carver, Melissa Valencia-Pérez and Velma Correa of Hinojosa EC/PK Center; Jotona Bell, Nancy Castellanos and Sandra Ziegler of Keeble EC/PK Center.

For prekindergarten classrooms assessed since the 2009-2010 school year, approximately 3,150 classrooms received 2011-2012 certification through a legislative-funded evaluation system operated by the Children’s Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

“Texas School Readiness Certification demonstrates the dedication of local early education educators who ensure that all their students are prepared with the necessary skills,” said Dr. Susan Landry, director of the Children’s Learning Institute. “This certification program continues to make a difference in children’s lives because of the support of parents and teachers as well as from community and state leaders.”

The Children’s Learning Institute implements the Texas School Ready! Project as an early education approach that serves at-risk preschool-aged children through shared resources between public and private early childhood education programs (licensed childcare providers, Head Start and public EC/PK classrooms are included in the program). The design of Texas School Ready® increases children’s school readiness through five evidence-driven components: research-based curriculum, technology-driven child progress monitoring, facilitated teacher professional development, ongoing teacher mentoring, and sustainability, including participation in the Texas School Readiness Certification System (SRCS).

To achieve certification, teachers at early education and preschool campuses have to provide information about their classrooms instructional practices. The results are then studied along with information from Texas public school districts to assess students’ early reading and social development skills after they advance to kindergarten. The annual certification shows that children who graduated from these EC/PK classrooms went to public kindergarten with the fundamental skills in place to be successful.

For more information about Texas School Readiness Certification for the Children’s Learning Institute, visit www.childrenslearninginstitute.org.