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the
TECTA TIMES
Volume 6, Issue 2
Dr. Katari Coleman Moves to the Tennessee Department of Human Services
By Dr. Celeste Brown
Dr. Katari Coleman has taken a position as Director of
Child Care Services within the Tennessee Department
of Human Services. Since 2008, Dr. Coleman served as
the Statewide Program Director for the Tennessee
Early Childhood Training Alliance following Evelyn
Hale. During Dr. Coleman’s time as Director, the
TECTA program celebrated its 20-year anniversary and
expanded and added several initiatives that focused on
online learning, training and education pathways for
administrators and high school students, and more.
In the six years of Dr. Coleman’s tenure as Director, the
TECTA program expanded in several different
directions. The first was the full implementation of the
Tennessee Early Childhood Program Administrator
Credential, or TECPAC program began in 2008. The
Administrator Credential is a State of Tennessee
Credential approved by the Tennessee Board of
Regents and the Credential is approved credential as an
alternate pathway for NAEYC accreditation for
administrators.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
TECTA
Celebrated the
Contributions of
Former Director
Dr. Katari
Coleman
Cover Page
Times Spotlight:
Charlene Susie
Clark: My TECTA
Story
Page 5
TECPAC
Academy II Begins
Spring 2015
Page 4
Home Visitor
Initiative Updates
Page 6
Conference Call
Page 7
Dr. Katari Coleman, former TECTA
Statewide Program Director
The next major program initiative was the launch of the
TN-ELDS online learning portal in 2009. This online
program took the Tennessee Early Learning
Developmental Standards textbook and transformed it
into a web-based interactive learning portal that
provided DHS-approved training for all of Tennessee’s
child care providers. TECTA’s online training initiatives
were further expanded in 2011 with the launch of the
Tennessee Child Care Online Training System, or
TCCOTS. The TCCOTS expansion made use of
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding
from the state and brought together statewide partners
to develop several modules that covered training topics
for current and new caregivers alike.
Continued on page 2…
A publication of Tennessee State University’s Center of Excellence for Learning Sciences
THE TECTA TIMES
WWW.TECTA.INFO
FALL 2014
Dr. Katari Coleman Moves to the Tennessee Department of Human
Services, continued
Beginning in June of 2009, TECTA explored new
methods of relating the current research in early
childhood to those practicing its methods on a daily
basis. Thus began the Summer Research Institutes, an
annual event that brings together hundreds of middle
Tennessee child care providers and administrators for a
day of networking and free training. The seventh annual
Summer Research Institute is scheduled for May of
2015.
Dr. Katari Coleman
(left) presents Evelyn
Hale with a plaque
honoring her service
to TECTA as Program
Director during the
September
Quarterly Meeting of
2008.
There were several other new TECTA initiatives during
Dr. Coleman’s tenure. This included the start of the
TECTA Center-based High School Equivalency
Program that awards high school students who
complete ECE Careers I and II classes with an
Orientation Completion Certificate, making them
eligible for tuition assistance in higher education. Dr.
Coleman also developed a new Home Visitor TECTA
Orientation class and created a CDA pathway program
for home visitors.
TFCCA
President
Daphne Cole
presents a
Partner Award
to Katari
Coleman at the
first Quarterly
Meeting in
September of
2009.
Part of Dr. Coleman’s legacy will be the relationships
and partnerships that she built and maintained with
early childhood partner organizations, state government
and higher education departments. Dr. Coleman
worked with the CSEFEL team as a coach and
incorporated the CSEFEL pyramid model into TECTA
Orientations. She was there to accept the award in 2010
for Tennessee receiving the highest percentage of
NAFCC accredited family child care programs. She was
a member of the Early Childhood Comprehensive
Systems initiative from the US Department of Health
and Human Services division of Maternal and Child
Health. Most recently, DR. Coleman hosted a reception
for the NAEYC accredited ECE programs at higher
education institutions across Tennessee.
Dr. Coleman and
Brenda Conn at the
first TECPAC
Academy celebration
in 2009.
Dr. Coleman and the
other 2011 TSU Million
Dollar Club inductees at
the TSU Research
Symposium.
Assistant Director Lin Venable will serve as Interim
Director. Mrs. Venable has more than 15 years of
experience with the TECTA program.
Continued on page 3…
2
THE TECTA TIMES
WWW.TECTA.INFO
FALL 2014
Dr. Katari Coleman Moves to the Tennessee Department of Human
Services, continued
Dr. Coleman with Tracy Harper
(TSU-TECTA) and Lin Venable
(TECTA Mgmt) receiving a
2010 Friend of NAFCC Award.
Lin Venable and Dr. Coleman receiving the
award presented to TECTA from NAFCC
for the highest percentage of NAFCCaccredited family child care programs.
Dr. Coleman working with partners on the
DHS Child Care History Project in 2011.
TECTA provided learning
materials to the TSU Early
Learning Center in 2011.
Dr. Coleman and Lin Venable with
staff from Walters State Community
College at the ECADA reception in
2014.
3
THE TECTA TIMES
WWW.TECTA.INFO
FALL 2014
TECPAC Academy II Begins in January 2015
By Dr. Celeste Brown
The Spring Academy will begin with a pre-enrollment
session on January 6, 2015 and end on May 20th.
Candidates accepted to the Academy will undergo pre
and post assessments of their programs and will
completed a portfolio at the end of the Academy. The
Academy meets online twice a month from 6:30 pm to
8:30 pm.
Interested child care program administrators can visit
www.tecta.info to download the TECPAC Eligibility
Application, fill it out in its entirety and email it to
Norma Mason, TECPAC Program Manager, at
[email protected] along with all college transcripts
for verification of your academic courses.
TECPAC Administrator Academy I
Spring 2015
January 6 – May 20, 2015
Pre-enrollment Session/Informational Meeting
January 6, 2015
Module 3
Session 5: Early Childhood Management I
March 18, 2015
Webinar: Pre-enrollment/ PAS and BAS Preassessment Overview
January 13, 2015
Session 6: Early Childhood Management II
April 1, 2015
PAS and BAS Pre-assessments in the East, Middle and
West Tennessee Regions
January 14-17, 2015
Module 4
Session 7: Building Family and Community
Relationships
April 15, 2014
Session 8: Curriculum
April 29, 2015
Module 1
Session 1: Orientation
January 20, 2015
Session 2: Introduction to the Academy
February 3, 2015
Module 5
Session 9: Observing, Documenting and Assessing
May 6, 2015
Module 2
Session 3: Leadership
February 17, 2015
Session 4: PAS/BAS Goal Setting
March 4, 2015
Session 10: Goals/Portfolio Achievement
May 20, 2015
4
THE TECTA TIMES
WWW.TECTA.INFO
FALL 2014
The Times Spotlight:
Charlene Susie Clark:
My TECTA Story
July 29, 2014
I had just started working (2006-07) in Cocke County as
a Pre-k assistant. It was required of me to have a CDA.
I did not know what a CDA was, or even what the
initials meant. My director gave me information for
TECTA. When I contacted TECTA, I talked to Mindy
Davis. She gave me information on how to get my
CDA, and more importantly she told me what it meant
to have a CDA in Early Childhood Education. TECTA
supported me by helping to pay for my classes at
Walters State Community College. I look back now, and
know without this help, I would not have been able to
achieve my CDA. I have to say that my first experience
with TECTA was a fun one. The orientation for
TECTA was fun, informative, and all about “little
people”. I wanted to know more about “little
people”. I had fell in love with my job as Pre-k
assistant. That first class got me hooked!
Mrs. Clark worked with staff at the ETSU TECTA site.
full time at Walters State Community College, I then
transferred to Tusculum College in July of 2012.
Once again, I was on a plan with my studies, when in
March of 2013 my husband of 31 years took ill
suddenly. He was diagnosed with lung- liver cancer
stage 4. The doctors gave us 2 months. The good Lord
gave us 9 months. After my husband’s terrible diagnosis
in March, I told him I needed to quit school. He told
me, “no, not to quit, that would mean I was giving up
on him”. My husband passed on November 28th, 2013
(Thanksgiving Day).
I was on a plan for my CDA, and was doing fine until
the fall of 2007. I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. I
had two surgeries, and radiation, then I took some time
off from my classes. In the spring of 2008, I was back
in class once again and doing fine. Then my father took
ill in the fall and I took time off to help care for him.
He passed in October of 2008. I once again started
classes in the spring of 2009 and was considering the
thought of, not only getting my CDA, but also
continuing on to get my teaching certificate.
I interviewed and was accepted into the Tusculum
Teaching Program in the fall of 2013. I am currently set
to finish my last four classes this fall before student
teaching in the spring of 2015. I thank the good Lord,
my family, encouraging teachers, and TECTA, for
supporting me through this journey. I dedicate my
degree to my husband, Micky. I will not give up on
him…He always supported me and never gave up on
me…
Thank you,
I talked to Ms. Davis and one of my teachers, Mrs.
Stooksbury, about the possibility of going on with more
classes. They were always encouraging! My Pre-k
teacher (Martha Loftis) also encouraged me to go for
my degree. After getting my CDA in 2010, I enrolled
Charlene Susie Clark
5
THE TECTA TIMES
WWW.TECTA.INFO
FALL 2014
Updates on the TECTA Home Visitor Initiatives
The TECTA Home Visitor Online Orientation
By Sherry Jo Anderson, Instructor
In April the 5th group of enrollees completed the TECTA
Home Visitor Orientation.
All enrollees in the
orientations are employed by the Tennessee Department
of Health and are home visitors or the supervisors of
home visitors working in different programs directed by
TDH. The assessments for supervisors contain five (5)
additional questions addressing supervision that are not
included in the home visitor assessment. On June 6th and
7th students finished TECTA 17 and 19.
The enrollments versus completions for TECTA 13, 17,
19 conducted April through August, 2014 include 3
completed orientations is 57/67 or 85% completion. Of
the 67 enrollees, 10 were supervisors and 57 were home
visitors. The average percentage of improvement for
home visitors in all completed orientations is 9.57% and
7.24% for supervisors.
Currently students for the 8th class enrolled in TECTA 21
which began August 18th. Each orientation has a pre- and
post-assessment. These two orientations will have
enrolled 37 students.
There is also 1 student who is compiling information and
gathering resources for her portfolio in order to apply for
her Home Visitor Child Development Associate
credential. This option is made available for students who
are TDH home visitors whose degree is not in Early
Childhood Development.
Bevra York Receives Recognition for Completing the
TECTA Home Visitor Orientation
By Lynette Hicks, Tennessee Department of Health
Congratulations to Bevra York, Home Visitor in
Campbell County. Ms. York attended and completed the
Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA)
course. This Course is a partnership between the
Tennessee Department of Health & Tennessee State
University. TECTA is an orientation course consisting of
6
Bevra York, Home Visitor in Campbell County,
Tennessee
30 clock hours of training related to Orientation,
Professional
Practice,
Cultural
Competency,
Preventive Screenings, Women’s Health, Child
Growth & Development, Family Relationship
Guidance, Safety, and Evidence Based Models. At
the recent ‘Home Visiting Training Institute’ in
Murfreesboro TN, Tennessee State University
recognized the TWO Home Visitors that performed
the best in this course. Both were gifted with a rolling
briefcase.
THE TECTA TIMES
WWW.TECTA.INFO
FALL 2014
CONFERENCE CALL
Mark your calendars for these upcoming conferences and events.
Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA)
66th Annual SECA Conference
“The World From Our Front Porch: Community And
Culture”
January 15-17, 2015
Astor Crowne Plaza in the French Quarter
New Orleans, LA
http://www.southernearlychildhood.org/
42nd Annual Head Start Conference and Expo
“50 Years of Opportunity”
Washington, DC
March 29-April 2, 2015
www.nhsa.org
Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth
(TCCY)
Children’s Advocacy Days
War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, TN
March 11-12, 2014
http://www.tn.gov/tccy/webcalen.pdf
Tennessee Family Child Care Alliance (TFCCA)
23nd Annual State Conference
Airport Marriott in Nashville, TN
March 27-28, 2015
www.tfcca.homestead.com
12th Annual Young Child Expo & Conference
Wyndham New Yorker Hotel in New York City, NY
April 22-24, 2015
http://www.youngchildexpo.com/presenter-guide/
The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
(ECTA Center)
Fifth National Summit on Quality in Home Visiting
Programs
Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC
May 7-8, 2015
http://homevisitingsummit.org/
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
2015 National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development
New Orleans, LA
June 7-10, 2015
http://www.naeyc.org/institute/
7
CONTACT THE TECTA SITE IN YOUR REGION FOR MORE INFORMATION
Dyersburg State
Community College
(731) 855-9190
Southwest Tennessee
Community College
(901) 333-5534
Tennessee State
University
(615) 277-1695
Austin Peay State
University
(931) 221-7300
Tennessee Tech
University
(931) 372-6444
Chattanooga State
Community College
(423) 697-2697
Roane State
Community College
(865) 481-2000 ext. 2254
East Tennessee
State University
(423) 439-7854
The TECTA Service Areas
The institutions currently selected by the statewide management office to serve as coordinating institutions are:
APSU
CSCC
DSCC
ETSU
RSCC
STCC
TSU
TTU
Dickson
Hickman
Houston
Humphreys
Lawrence
Lewis
Maury
Montgomery
Perry
Stewart
Wayne
Bledsoe
Bradley
Coffee
Franklin
Grundy
Hamilton
Lincoln
Marion
McMann
Meigs
Monroe
Moore
Polk
Rhea
Sequatchie
Benton
Carroll
Chester
Crockett
Decatur
Dyer
Gibson
Hardin
Haywood
Henderson
Henry
Lake
Lauderdale
Madison
Obion
Tipton
Weakley
Carter
Claiborne
Cocke
Grainger
Green
Hamblen
Hancock
Hawkins
Jefferson
Johnson
Sevier
Sullivan
Unicoi
Union
Washington
Anderson
Blount
Campbell
Knox
Loudon
Morgan
Roane
Scott
Fayette
Hardeman
McNairy
Shelby
Bedford
Cheatham
Davidson
Giles
Marshall
Robertson
Rutherford
Sumner
Trousdale
Williamson
Wilson
Cannon
Clay
Cumberland
Dekalb
Fentress
Jackson
Macon
Overton
Pickett
Putnam
Smith
Van Buren
Warren
White
The TECTA program is funded through a contract with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and the Center
of Excellence for Learning Sciences at Tennessee State University.
TENNESSEE
EARLY CHILDHOOD
TRAINING ALLIANCE
TSU-14-0152(A)-16b-61085 – Tennessee State University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, disability or age in its program and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding
the non-discrimination policies: Ms. Tiffany Baker-Cox, Director of Equity, Diversity and Compliance, 3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard,
Nashville, TN 37209, (615) 963-7435.