The University of Texas Pan American was awarded funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) for the South Texas Advantage Project (STAP) in October 2005. 

The STAP project will support grant participants, consisting of current Head Start educators from Hidalgo County Head Start and/or Texas Migrant Council-Head Start, to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a teaching certification in Early Childhood through 6th Grade (EC-6 Bilingual Generalist or EC-6 Generalist). 

STAP has established four programmatic goals that it intends to fully meet by the time the project ends. 

 

South Texas Advantage Project will improve program quality for early childhood education professionals through a partnership among the University of Texas-Pan American, Hidalgo County Head Start and Texas Migrant Head Start by committing to the development of high quality programs for early childhood educators, Hispanic young children and their   families. STAP will impact a targeted population of over 6,800 children from birth to four years of age. Over 75%  of the Texas Migrant Council Head Start and Hidalgo County Head Start children are English Language Learners. This project will impact  over 550 children with disabilities and a large  concentration of low income families in the Rio Grande Valley. 

             Goal 1: Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with the University of Texas

             Pan American, Hidalgo County Head Start, and the Texas Migrant Council Head Start

             to recruit and prepare future teachers and retain new teachers.

             Goal 2: Increase the number of teaching staff that has the early childhood educational

             qualifications and certification, knowledge, and professional commitment to promote

             children’s learning and development.

             Goal 3: Facilitate professional development to include developmentally, culturally, and

             linguistically appropriate and effective teaching approaches that enhance each child’s

             learning and development.

             Goal 4: Develop a model of professional development to work effectively with diverse

             families by using information about families to adapt the environment, curriculum,

             and teaching methods to the families served.