C.L.I

What C.L.I does

C.L.I refers to the Children's Learning Institute (CLI), a research-based early childhood education entity housed within UTHealth Houston that operates the CLI Engage web platform. CLI Engage delivers a free online learning environment to Texas public schools, Texas Rising Star (TRS) programs, child care providers, and teachers, offering online learning circles, professional development courses, the CIRCLE Progress Monitoring child assessment system, family engagement surveys, and a Circle Pre-K Curriculum aligned to Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines. The platform authenticates users via single sign-on integrations with the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) and the Texas Workforce Registry, which effectively embeds CLI Engage as the default digital workspace for the Texas early childhood workforce.

The underlying product architecture combines a curriculum catalog (Circle Pre-K, Circle Decodables, supplemental activity pages), an assessment engine (CIRCLE Progress Monitoring, Pre-K and K-3 observation tools), and professional development content delivered through online courses. The Children's Learning Institute has, as of 2026, begun layering generative AI features on top of this base, specifically AI-generated insights for the Family Engagement Survey and a Post-Assessment Mentor Recommendations Report that translates assessment data into actionable recommendations for educators and mentors.

Commercial activity is deliberately limited. The platform is free to qualifying Texas providers; revenue is generated only through CLI Solutions Group, which sells printed Circle Curriculum materials and provides fee-based platform access to non-eligible programs (principally those outside Texas or outside the TRS / public school system). A National version of the Circle Pre-K Curriculum aligned to the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) is also positioned for large state adoptions, indicating a controlled pathway to out-of-Texas revenue that has not yet translated into disclosed commercial scale.

Name

C.L.I

Legal name

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Website

https://cliengage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CLI Engage, operated by the Children's Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston, is a free web-based early childhood education platform serving Texas public schools, Texas Rising Star programs, and child care providers with curriculum, child progress monitoring, professional development, and family engagement tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Engagement & Take-Home Learning Materials (Home Packs, Parent Guides) (EDACAJAL), Specialized Intervention & Skill-Building Programs (Speech/OT Support Materials, Social Skills) (EDACAJAJ), Inclusive Infant & Toddler Care (Special Needs / IFSP-Aligned) (EDACAGAI)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Curriculum and assessment tools
• Professional development
• Progress monitoring platform
• Prekindergarten resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Free Digital Platform Access: CLI Engage provides free digital access to all resources for eligible Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Texas Rising Star participating programs. This is the primary model supporting the organization's educational mission.
2. Public Access Account: Free access to a large set of resources for parents and early childhood professionals outside free eligibility requirements. No cost for programs not eligible for TSR Online package.
3. Print Curriculum Sales: Print versions of Circle Pre-K Curriculum and Circle Infant & Toddler Curriculum are available for purchase. Print editions include conveniently bound components and exclusive additional resources not in digital version.
4. Fee-Based CLI Engage Access: The Children's Learning Institute offers fee-based CLI Engage access to non-eligible programs seeking specific resources beyond the Public Access suite. Contact through CLI Solutions Group.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

C.L.I operates CLI Engage, a web-based platform providing integrated research-based early childhood education resources for children from birth through 2nd grade. The platform combines professional development courses, research-aligned curricula (Circle Pre-K and Circle Infant & Toddler), activity collections, child progress monitoring and screening tools (TPRI, Tejas LEE, CPM, Dyslexia Screener), and quality improvement systems for educators, schools, and families. CLI Engage is offered free to Texas public schools and programs and via paid subscription through CLI Solutions Group to non-eligible programs.

Product overview

CLI Engage is a comprehensive, integrated web-based platform developed by the Children's Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston. The platform serves as a unified ecosystem combining multiple products and modules: CLI Engage itself serves as the core platform, housing professional development through eCircle and Circle CDA Training, assessment tools including Circle Progress Monitoring (CPM), Circle Kindergarten Progress Monitoring (KPM/TX-KEA), TPRI, Tejas LEE, and Dyslexia Screeners, and activity resources including the Circle Pre-K Curriculum, Circle Infant & Toddler Curriculum, and Circle Activity Collections for Family, Pre-K to Grade 2, and Infant & Toddler classrooms. Quality improvement tools include the Circle Continuous Quality Improvement System (CQI), Texas Rising Star Toolkit, Classroom Environment Checklist, and the new AI-powered Family Engagement Survey. Additional offerings include AERO Reading Program, Circle Decodables Library, Systematic Assessment of Book Reading (SABR) 2.0, and various training programs. The platform integrates with Clever, ClassLink, Okta, and Microsoft for SSO, and has API integration with KinderSystems KinderTrack for Texas Rising Star reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Circle Pre-K Curriculum: Comprehensive prekindergarten curriculum with 35 weeks of scope and sequences and 10 theme guides
• Circle Infant & Toddler Curriculum
• Circle Activity Collection
• Tejas LEE
• TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory)
• Texas Rising Star

Products and services

• CLI Engage Platform A web-based platform developed by the Children's Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston providing integrated resources connecting professional development, classroom implementation with activity collections, and data collection tools for child progress monitoring and teacher observation. Free for eligible Texas schools and programs.
• Circle Pre-K Curriculum Research-based prekindergarten curriculum providing 35 weeks of Scope and Sequences, 10 Theme Guides, and Teacher's Manual. Adopted by Texas State Board of Education in November 2020 and aligned to Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and Head Start ELOF. Available in English and Spanish.
• Circle Infant & Toddler Curriculum Comprehensive curriculum providing programs with everything needed to create and implement weekly lesson plans supporting meaningful interactions and playful learning for infants and toddlers (0-36 months). Includes Teacher's Guide, Plan Your Week, Activities A-Z, and Family Engagement components. Approved for Texas Rising Star and aligned to Head Start ELOF.
• Circle Progress Monitoring System (CPM) Technology-driven progress monitoring tool enabling teachers to quickly assess children's progress in specific skill areas using teacher-administered and observation-based assessments. Automatically groups children and links to targeted activities for differentiated instruction.
• TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory) Highly reliable one-on-one assessment of students' early reading skills for grades 1-2 to detect early reading difficulties and help teachers provide targeted instruction. Meets Texas Education Code §28.006 requirements. Hosted on CLI Engage at no cost for Texas public school districts and charter schools.
• Tejas LEE (Inventario de Lectura en Español de Tejas) Spanish reading assessment tool measuring reading, comprehension, and related skills of students in grades 1-2. Fulfills Texas Education Code §28.006 requirements. On the Commissioner's List of Approved Grades 1 & 2 Progress Monitoring Instruments. Demonstrated high reliability and validity.
• Dyslexia Screener Direct assessment aligned with student skill criteria for dyslexia screening in accordance with Texas Education Code. Includes Dyslexia Referral Checklist as supplemental questionnaire linking assessment to classroom observations.
• Circle Kindergarten Progress Monitoring (KPM) Kindergarten progress monitoring assessment system (formerly TX-KEA, renamed to Circle KPM Toolkit in July 2025) featuring multiple waves of assessment (BOY, MOY, EOY) combining literacy screener administration with ongoing progress monitoring.
• Small Grouping Tool Automatically assigns children to small groups and offers recommended activities from the Circle Activity Collection to support differentiated instruction based on progress monitoring data.
• Circle Activity Collection: Pre-K to Grade 2 Classroom Activity collection translating early childhood development research into practice through activities for large group, small group, and one-on-one instruction, supporting language, literacy, social-emotional, mathematics, and science skills. Includes video exemplars.
• Circle Activity Collection: Infant & Toddler Classroom Flexible activities for infants and toddlers focusing on promoting quality of language, caregiver sensitivity, and helping children understand new words and concepts.
• Circle Activity Collection: Family Collection of fun, easy activity ideas for families to support children's school readiness skills from birth through age 11. Available publicly at cliengagefamily.org without login.
• eCircle Professional Development Online professional development courses for early childhood educators covering progress monitoring training, in-depth child skill development, and other topics with certificates at no cost.
• Circle Continuous Quality Improvement System (CQI) Series of tools supporting observation and goal-setting for key teaching and caregiving competencies, including the Continuous Quality Improvement Plan (CQIP) tool for Texas Rising Star mentors. Formerly known as COT (Classroom Observation Tool).
• Circle Decodables Library Growing library of free digital decodable books following the AERO Curriculum instructional sequence and complementing structured phonics programs.
• AERO Reading Program Accelerated Early Reading Outcomes program providing structured phonics curriculum aligned with Circle Decodables.
• Family Engagement Survey AI-powered tool generating shareable anonymous survey links to collect family feedback on communication, collaboration, and home learning experiences, with AI-generated insights and recommendations.
• Post-Assessment Mentor Recommendations Report AI-generated report from Texas Rising Star assessment results providing mentors with ready-to-use recommendations for Program Directors with guidance and next steps.
• Classroom Environment Checklist Quality improvement tool for assessing and improving classroom environments in early learning programs.
• Texas Rising Star Toolkit Resources and tools supporting early learning programs participating in the Texas Rising Star quality rating system, including assessment tracking, goal setting, and mentor coordination.
• Circle CDA Training Program Professional development program preparing early childhood educators for Child Development Associate credential.
• Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines Training Online training aligned with Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines for implementing quality pre-K instruction.
• ECE Professional Micro-Credentials Digital badges earned for demonstrating competencies in early childhood education topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Circle Pre-K Curriculum adopted by Texas State Board of Education in November 2020 with full alignment to Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability6 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Texas state agenciescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014In 2014, CLI partnered with state agencies to build CLI Engage platform to deliver research-based tools to a greater number of early childhood education programs across Texas.
• Texas Education Agency (TEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTPRI and Tejas LEE are hosted on CLI Engage at no cost for Texas public school districts and charter schools through ongoing partnerships with TEA.
• Texas Workforce CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTexas Workforce Commission approves eligibility and certification revisions for Texas Rising Star program. Partnership supports quality improvement for early learning programs.
• PBSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLI & PBS Collaboration created Circle STEM Lab - first child-facing activities through partnership with PBS. Video exemplars also filmed in partnership with local schools and childcare centers.
• University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLI Engage is part of the Children's Learning Institute at UTHealth Houston. TPRI is intellectual property of UTHealth Houston and Texas Education Agency.
• CLI Solutions GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCLI Solutions Group handles print curriculum sales and fee-based CLI Engage access for non-eligible programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Reading Eggs (Blake eLearning): Reading Eggs provides online reading programs for ages 2-13 with gamified lessons and assessments. Partial overlap with CLI Engage's early reading tools (AERO, decodables, TPRI) but more consumer/parent-facing and narrower in instructional depth.
• Waterford Institute: Waterford.org delivers Waterford Upstart and Waterford Early Reading for pre-K through grade-2, focused on early literacy and equity. Comparable to CLI on the early-literacy, family-engagement side but with a narrower product scope.

Direct peers

• Frog Street: Frog Street publishes research-based ECE curricula (Frog Street Infant, Toddler, Pre-K) and professional development for early childhood educators. Comparable to CLI's Circle Infant & Toddler and Pre-K curricula and eCircle PD offerings for the same birth-to-pre-K segment.
• Teaching Strategies: Teaching Strategies provides The Creative Curriculum, GOLD assessment, and family engagement tools for birth-to-grade-3 ECE programs. Closest direct peer to CLI Engage because both sell integrated curriculum-plus-assessment stacks to early childhood classrooms and align to state ECE frameworks.
• HighScope: HighScope develops the HighScope Curriculum and COR Advantage child assessment, plus training and coaching, for preschool programs. Comparable research-based, classroom-observation-driven ECE curriculum and assessment stack to CLI's Circle curricula and CQI tools.
• Kaplan Early Learning Company: Kaplan supplies early childhood curriculum, classroom materials, and furniture for infant, toddler, and pre-K programs. Comparable to CLI on the curriculum/materials side, particularly for early childhood centers purchasing instructional resources.

Broad incumbents

• NWEA: NWEA provides MAP Growth assessments and a growing suite of reading and early-literacy instructional tools for K-12. Comparable to CLI's progress-monitoring and dyslexia-screening categories from a broader-incumbent standpoint.
• Curriculum Associates: Curriculum Associates publishes iReady diagnostic and instruction, and Ready classroom mathematics/reading. Overlaps with CLI's K-2 progress monitoring and reading instruction but at broader K-12 scale with significant commercial sales motion.
• Renaissance Learning: Renaissance provides Star Assessments, Accelerated Reader, and myON digital reading for K-12. Overlaps with CLI Engage's TPRI/Tejas LEE and progress-monitoring categories but as part of a much broader K-12 portfolio rather than an ECE specialist.

Others

• PBS Kids Education: PBS Kids produces educational media and classroom resources (including the Circle STEM Lab collaboration with CLI). Not a direct curriculum competitor, but an ecosystem partner and adjacent content provider for the same early childhood audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CLI_UTHealth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CLIUTHealth
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChildrensLearningInstitute

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C.L.I