Neighborhood Centers Inc. recognizes the importance of teachers in today’s complex society and we encourage potential educators to join us in preparing and continuing in this vital field of service.
Our expertise in early childhood education led to the establishment of our successful training effort in 1995. Since that time, we have provided a wide array of training for early childhood teachers and administrators in the Greater Houston area.
Early Childhood Training
The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is a nationally recognized early childhood professional achievement. The CDA credential procedures are administered by the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, D.C. The curriculum we offer provides formal training and professional mentorship that supports each student’s ability to meet the national CDA assessment requirements including:
- 120 hours of formal education.
- Development of a Professional Resource File that documents competence.
Neighborhood Centers Inc. is the only provider of CDA coursework in Spanish in the Houston area. The CDA coursework is offered three times a year.
Candidates for the CDA credential must currently work with children or volunteers and desire a career working with children. The candidate may begin the training while completing the requirements to obtain a high school diploma or equivalent.
The training department offers other training for early childhood professionals including:
- Director qualifications training.
- CDA Renewal Training.
- Infant/Toddler Mentor Program.
For additional information on course offerings, email us or call Alicia Oria-Iriarte at 713-669-5374.
Texas Early Education Model
TEEM is a demonstration project mandated by the Texas Legislature to improve the quality of education for Texas preschool children. Neighborhood Centers Inc. currently serves as the lead agency, working with The Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education (CIRCLE), under the direction of Susan Landry, Ph.D., which provides training, resources, materials and overall direction for the project.
As the lead agency, Neighborhood Centers Inc. creates an infrastructure that supports the project, accomplished by a professional staff with combined early childhood education experience of more than 75 years.
TEEM offers a three-pronged approach to improving the school readiness of 3- and 4-year-olds who are economically disadvantaged and/or have English as a second language.
First, there is teacher professional development, which is offered through online courses and classroom mentoring. Second, a research-based curriculum is provided to each classroom in the project. Finally, student progress is assessed and measured.
Presently, the Houston area has 89 teachers/classrooms participating in the project. The project has promoted community partnerships through the integration of Title I pre-kindergarten classrooms, Head Start classrooms and child care classrooms.