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Texas Even Start Administrative Manual

June 2004, (Revised January 2008)

Professional Development

Staff Qualifications

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Staff qualifications for Even Start staff are listed in The Guidance for the William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Programs.

Even Start considers each component to be of equal value. There is academic instruction in parent education and ILA Time as well as adult education and early childhood education. Therefore, the minimum qualifications apply to instructional staff in all areas.

Adult education teachers in Texas are required to have at least a bachelor’s degree. A bachelor’s degree plus teacher certification is required to teach PK, K, first and second grade in Texas. Associate’s degrees are acceptable for other instructional positions.

Paraprofessionals who provide support for academic instruction must have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent.

Specific qualifications are not provided in The Guidance for project directors. Project directors (coordinators) are, however, the instructional leaders of their programs. Job responsibilities of the director include supervision and training of staff, financial management, and coordination with community partners. These are administrative responsibilities that are best served by candidates with a bachelor’s or graduate degree. Project directors must participate in training in the operation of a family literacy program.

The 100% Coordinator

The coordinator is the instructional leader over all four components of Even Start, manages community collaborations and carries out administrative responsibilities of the program. These responsibilities require a full time commitment.

The Guidance For The William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Programs document defines the total program cost as Federal share plus local share. The formula for calculating local share is found in this manual under Application and Funding, Allocation of Funds. Even Start coordinators oversee administration of both federal funds and local share funds that comprise the total Even Start funding base. It is expected that the coordinator will invest time in seeking additional local share and meeting the requirements of local share providers. That may mean participating in local task forces or community groups; collecting, assimilating and reporting data for non-federal funding sources; or other related activities.

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Budget for Professional Development

Funds for professional development are not isolated by line item in the Even Start grant application. Rather, professional development is considered part of payroll costs. Pre-service and inservice training is necessary for staff serving all components of Even Start. Programs should be careful to allot sufficient funds for staff development in the program budget, including travel costs associated with participating in state-required grantee meetings or trainings. A list of anticipated meetings/trainings can be found on the Texas LEARNS calendar.

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