TECPDS supports early childhood professionals by providing them with resources and tools (through our growing Career Hub) to help them meet their professional development needs. TECPDS defines professional development as any opportunity that enhances the knowledge and skills of those working with young children, including training, education, and employment. Housed at the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at UTHealth Houston, TECPDS is one of several statewide programs managed by CLI to support the early childhood system, including programs, professionals, and families across the state, as part of its role as the Texas State Center for Early Childhood Development.
TECPDS serves as Texas’ early childhood workforce registry, offers opportunities to learn about the workforce through aggregate reporting, and houses the Texas Trainer Registry, one of the approved pathways to deliver training for Texas child care programs.
TECPDS offers many tools and resources to support all early childhood professionals to advance their career pathway by connecting to advancement resources, including professional development, education, credentials, and work experience across all early childhood settings. Explore the TECPDS Career Hub to view our growing network of career advancement tools.
Get started by creating your free account, then logging in to see all of our tools and resources.
TECPDS was launched in 2013 and continues to expand and enhance professional development opportunities, resources, and tools for early childhood professionals.
Formerly known as the Texas Early Care and Education Career Development System (TECECDS), the Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System (TECPDS), housed at the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at UTHealth Houston, was developed through a joint project of the Texas Head Start Collaboration Office (TXHSCO) and the Texas Early Learning Council (TELC).
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and TXHSCO offer ongoing support and guidance for TECPDS. Through a partnership with TWC, the Texas Workforce Registry on TECPDS is formally integrated with the Texas Rising Star assessment process for its Category 1 Director and Staff Qualifications and Training measures (learn more about how TECPDS is used in the state QRIS). State and local funding offered opportunities to continue enhancing the tools and resources on the system, including the Find My Career Pathway tool to better guide professional development planning, a statewide job board, and more.
For more information on the system’s initial development as a whole, please refer to the Texas Early Learning Council’s 2010-2013 archive.
TECPDS is supported by several staff members at the Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston and a dedicated advisory council with diverse experience in the Texas early childhood sector that provides guidance and support to TECPDS.
Nicole Allen, Fort Worth, TX – Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County
Elizabeth Beavers, Houston, TX – University of Houston at Clear Lake School of Education
Jyrah Knight, Dallas, TX – First3Years
April Crawford, PhD, Houston, TX – Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston
Alferma Giles, PhD, Houston, TX – Texas Head Start Collaboration Office
Sue Hancock, San Antonio, TX – Hancock P.D. Resources & Counseling
Tracy Anne Jones, EdD, Houston, TX – Texas Early Childhood Professional Development System
Lindsay Stephens, Austin, TX – Texas Workforce Commission
Pamela Benson Owens, Austin, TX – Texas Association for the Education of Young Children
Sylina Valdez, Austin, TX – Texas Education Agency
Albert Talley, Pasadena, TX – San Jacinto College
Allison Martinez, Austin, TX – Texas Department of Health & Human Services
Kim Kofron, Austin, TX- Children at Risk
Dianne Nielsen, Rockport, TX – Children’s Coalition of Aransas County
LaShonda Brown-Hollins, Houston, TX – Children’s Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston
Jodi Nerren, College Station, TX – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Robert DeHaas, Dallas, TX – Dallas College
Missy Sanchez, Austin, TX – Open Door Preschool