Our Staff
Tule Elk Park CDC employs 10 classroom teachers and 18 paraprofessionals who represent the cultures and languages of our children. Each pre-kindergarten classroom has one teacher and two paraprofessionals, supporting a teacher to child ratio of 1:8. The pre-kindergarten special education program is staffed by one teacher and two paraprofessionals serving 10 – 12 children. Each school-age classroom has one teacher and one paraprofessional for a 1:14 teacher to student ratio.
Staff tenure ranges from two to 30 years with an average of 13 years. Thirteen educators have worked at TEP for more than 10 years. The environmental educator and artist-in-residence are employed separately by the Tule Elk Park Project, but work in partnership with the Center’s classroom teachers and paraprofessionals.
TEP’s professional development activities focus on three primary strands:
- Project Approach to support emerging literacy development and critical thinking skills.
- Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) approach to help teachers better understand differentiated instructional strategies that support each child’s individual growth and development.
- The Orff-Schulwerk approach to music, movement, and speech created by the German composer Carl Orff (1895-1982).
We recognize the contributions staff have made to the field of early childhood education and their commitment to professional excellence.