Childrens Learning Institute (CLI) and Workforce Solutions of Central Texas are proud to announce the Lampasas Community area recipients of Texas School Ready Certification. Kline Whitis Elementary, Lampasas Head Start, First Baptist Preschool, San Saba Head Start, Hamilton Head Start and Gatesville Head Start have been awarded Texas School Ready Certification for 2009. To achieve certification, teachers at preschools and centers apply to CLI and provide information about their classrooms. CLI then studies information provided by Texas public school districts to assess those student's early reading and social development skills after they advance to kindergarten. The annual certification demonstrates that children who graduated from these pre-k classrooms went to public kindergarten with the fundamental skills in place to be successful.

"This certification recognizes the strong leadership of local community leaders in implementing the Texas School Ready! Project and in taking a proven, focused approach to ensure that all children, including those at-risk, receive the support they need to enter school ready to learn," said Susan Landry, PH.D., Albert and Margaret Alkek Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Education and executive director of CLI at the UT Health Science Center. "This project continues to succeed for children because of the support of not only parents, teachers and community leaders," said Landry, "but the support of our elected and appointed leaders in Austin,"

The success of this model is exemplified across the board in our communities. Kline Whitis Elementary has three Title I pre-K classrooms taught by Lampasas ISD teachers. First Baptist Preschool, Lampasas Head Start, San Saba Head Start, Hamilton Head Start, and Gatesville Head Start teachers have been involved in the project using the same state adopted curriculum for instruction, utilize the same progress monitoring tool, and attend the same professional development courses.