TEEM

Texas Senate Bill 76 provided funding to the State Center for Early Childhood Development (SCECD) for the implementation of a research project titled, Texas Early Education Model (TEEM). State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) authored and passed SB 76 with bipartisan support by the Texas Legislature in 2003. TEEM represents an early education model project that encourages shared resources among three groups of government-funded public and private child-care programs that serve poor and at-risk children. There are numerous communities across Texas currently implementing TEEM programs. The programs include nonprofit and for-profit childcare centers, public school districts and Head Start programs.

TEEM Research Project

Focus

Solid curriculum
Effective professional development
Ongoing progress monitoring

TEEM Goal: Highly Qualified Teachers

Attentive to preparation and professional development to learn how to teach fundamental language and literacy skills
Applies research- based practices to teaching of reading and language

TEEM Goal: Social Emotional Development

Rich language input
Responsiveness to child’s signals
Maintains and builds on child’s interests
Reasonable freedom from restrictions
More choices of learning activities
Adaptive to child’s changing needs

TEEM Goal: Professional Development

Teacher Read Aloud
Classroom Library
Writing Center
Storytelling
Rhyming Games
Teacher/Child Talk

Provides

Phoneme Awareness Instruction
Vocabulary/Language
Critical Thinking
Literature Appreciation

Links

TEEM Approach: http://www.uth.tmc.edu/circle/

TEEM Frequently Asked Questions