What is Texas Rising Star?
The Texas Rising Star program is a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) for child care programs participating in the Texas Workforce Commission’s (TWC) Child Care Services program. Texas Rising Star certification is available to licensed centers and licensed and registered child care home facilities that meet the certification criteria.
The Texas Rising Star program offers three levels of quality certification (Two-Star, Three-Star, and Four-Star) to encourage child care and early learning programs to attain progressively higher levels of quality. These certification levels are tied to graduated enhanced reimbursement rates for children receiving child care scholarships.
What is a Texas Rising Star-certified Program?
A Texas Rising Star-certified program is an early learning program that has an agreement to provide Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)Child Care Services and meets requirements that exceed the State’s Child Care Regulation minimum standards, receiving a certification level of Two-, Three-, or Four-Star.
What agency regulates child care in Texas?
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Child Care Regulation (CCR) department regulates child care in Texas.
How can I find a quality early learning program in my area?
The Texas Child Care Availability Portal helps match families that need child care with early learning programs that have available spots. While not all programs are Texas Rising Star-certified, Texas Rising Star-certified programs will show up higher on the search list. Parents can easily access information about early learning programs in their area that have current openings, which are updated on a weekly basis. In this portal, parents can also view:
- Quality certifications and accreditations (Texas Rising Star-certified programs will have a unique indicator)
- Available spots by age
- Links to the program’s licensing safety and health inspection reports and history
Additionally, a map of all Texas Rising Star-certified programs is updated regularly on this website. You can zoom in/out to view specific regions and click on any icon to view the details for a Texas Rising Star-certified early learning program, denoted by a colored dot. You can also select the local workforce area of the state you wish to view as well and the certification level (Two-, Three-, or Four-Star) of the programs that are certified. To confirm any early learning program’s certification, please contact your local workforce development board for more information.