Texas Rising Star > Providers > Texas Rising Star Eligibility

Texas Rising Star Eligibility

As provided in Texas Government Code §2308.3155, the Texas Rising Star program is a quality-based child care rating system of child care and early learning programs participating in the Texas Workforce Commission’s (TWC)’s Child Care Services program.

Initial Certification Requirements

All programs requesting initial Texas Rising Star certification must:

  • have an active Child Care Services (CCS) Provider Agreement with a Board to accept referrals from TWC’s CCS program and meet the requirements for Entry Level Designation;
  • have a permanent (non-expiring) license or registration from CCR*;
  • have at least 12 months of licensing history with CCR*;
  • demonstrate a high level of compliance with CCR minimum standards* over the preceding six months in accordance with the Texas Rising Star Initial Screening Form; and
  • ensure that a center director account is created in the Workforce Registry (WFR) and that the director encourages their staff members to create individual accounts within the WFR.

*Programs that are not regulated by CCR but are regulated by the US military and in good standing are also eligible to request Texas Rising Star certification.

Child Care Regulation-Corrective or Adverse Action

Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Child Care Regulation (CCR) is the licensing and regulatory agency for the state of Texas. CCR standards establish minimum licensing requirements that all child care and early learning programs must follow. If an early learning program has repeated licensing deficiencies, CCR may place the program on corrective action. CCR may initiate an adverse action to include a revocation or suspension of a license if:

  • deficiencies are not corrected timely;
  • there are repeat deficiencies; or
  • there is an incident or single deficiency that poses an immediate risk to children.

Child Care Rule §809.131 states that Child care and early learning programs placed on corrective or adverse action by CCR are not meeting consistent compliance with minimum licensing standards and are not eligible to participate in Texas Rising Star.

CCR Minimum Licensing Standards Screening

Texas Rising Star-certified programs are expected to maintain a consistent and high level of compliance with CCR minimum licensing standards. A program’s most recent six months of CCR minimum licensing standards compliance history are reviewed using the applicable Texas Rising Star Screening Form prior to any assessment and on a regular basis.

In addition to CCR minimum licensing standards compliance, programs must:

  • not be on Corrective or Adverse Action with CCR;
  • not be on Board Corrective Action or Notice of Freeze;
  • not be cited for the facility’s applicable CCR weapons minimum standard (Centers – 746.3707 (b-d), Homes – 747.3505, School Age – 744.2607 (b-d));
  • have 25 or less total points when calculating high- and medium-high-weighted deficiencies; and
  • not be cited for the following deficiencies (based on facility-type) within the most six recent -months
Deficiencies from facility type—Centers
  • 745.635: Criminal Convictions or Central Registry Findings—Take Appropriate Action [High]
  •  745.641: Background Checks Requirement—Providing Direct Care [High]
  • 746.1201(4): Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers—Ensure No Child is Abused, Neglected, or Exploited [High]
  • 746.1201(5): Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers—Report Suspected Child Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation [High]

 

Deficiencies from facility type—Homes
  • 745.635: Criminal Convictions or Central Registry Findings—Take Appropriate Action [High]
  • 745.641: Background Checks Requirement—Providing Direct Care [High]
  • 747.207(4): Reporting Suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation [High]
  • 747.1501(a)(3): Responsibility of Caregivers—Ensure No Child is Abused, Neglected, or Exploited [High]

 

Deficiencies from facility type—School-Age Programs
  • 745.635: Criminal Convictions or Central Registry Findings—Take Appropriate Action [High]
  • 745.641: Background Checks Requirement—Providing Direct Care [High]
  • 744.1201(5): Reporting Suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation [High]
  • 744.1201(4): Responsibility of Caregivers—Ensure No Child is Abused, Neglected, or Exploited [High]

 

View each facility type’s screening form for initial Texas Rising Star certification: Center-based, Homes, or After-School Program

Star-Level Drop Deficiencies

Certified Texas Rising Star programs will incur a star-level drop for each deficiency cited during the most recent six-month CCR licensing period. Two-Star certified programs will be placed on suspension status.

Deficiencies Leading to a Star-Level Drop—Centers
  • 745.635: Criminal Convictions or Central Registry Findings—Take Appropriate Action [High]
  • 745.641: Background Checks Requirement—Providing Direct Care [High]
  • 746.1201(4): Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers—Ensure No Child is Abused, Neglected, or Exploited [High]
  • 746.1201(5): Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers—Report Suspected Child Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation [High]

Deficiencies Leading to a Star-Level Drop—Homes
  • 745.635: Criminal Convictions or Central Registry Findings—Take Appropriate Action [High]
  • 745.641: Background Checks Requirement—Providing Direct Care [High]
  • 747.207(4): Reporting Suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation [High]
  • 747.1501(a)(3): Responsibility of Caregivers—Ensure No Child is Abused, Neglected, or Exploited [High]

 

Deficiencies Leading to a Star-Level Drop—School-Age Programs
  • 745.635: Criminal Convictions or Central Registry Findings—Take Appropriate Action [High]
  • 745.641: Background Checks Requirement- Providing Direct Care [High]
  • 744.1201(5): Reporting Suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation [High]
  • 744.1201(4): Responsibilities of Caregivers—Ensure no child is Abused, Neglected, or Exploited [High]

 

Probation A Deficiencies (Certified Programs)

Programs that are Texas Rising Star -certified will be placed on a six-month Probation A if any noted deficiency is cited during the most recent six-month CCR licensing period.

Deficiencies Resulting in a Probation—Centers
  • 745.621: Background Checks Requirement—Submitting Requests [High]
  • 746.1003: Director Responsibilities [(1), (3–6) High
  • 746.1201(1): Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers—Demonstrate Competency, Good Judgment, Self-Control [High]
  • 746.1205(a): Responsibilities of Caregivers—Supervision of Children [High]
  • 746.1315: First Aid and CPR Requirements [Medium-High]
  • 746.1601: Child/Caregiver Ratios [Medium-High]
  • 746.2805: Prohibited Punishments [High]
  • 746.3805(a): Administering Medication—How to Administer Medication [High]
  • 746.3805(b): Administering Medication—How to Administer Medication [(2) High; (1), (3) Medium-High]

 

Deficiencies Resulting in a Probation—Homes
  • 745.621: Background Checks Requirement—Submitting Requests [High]
  • 747.207 (1–3), (6–7): Primary Caregivers Responsibilities [(6) High; (1–3), (7) Medium High
  • 747.1501(c)(1): Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers—Demonstrate Competency, Good Judgment, Self-Control [High]
  • 747.1501(a)(4): Responsibilities of Caregivers—Supervision of Children [High]
  • 747.1313: First Aid and CPR Training [High]
  • 747.1701 (RCCH)/747.1801 (LCCH): Child/Caregiver Ratios [Medium-High]
  • 747.2705: Prohibited Punishments [High]
  • 747.3605(a): Administering Medication—How to Administer Medication [High]
  • 747.3605(b): Administering Medication [(2) High; (1), (3) Medium-High]
  • 747.3501: Safety—Areas Free from Hazards [(1–7) Medium-High, (8) High]

 

Deficiencies Resulting in a Probation—School-Age Programs
  • 745.621: Background Checks Requirement [High]
  • 744.1005(a)(1)–(6): Director Responsibilities [Medium-High]
  • 744.1201(1): Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers—Demonstrate Competency, Good Judgment, Self-Control [High]
  • 744.1205(a)(4): Responsibilities of Caregivers—Supervision of Children [High]
  • 744.1315: First Aid and CPR Requirements [Medium-High]
  • 744.1601: Child/Caregiver Ratios [Medium-High]
  • 744.2105: Prohibited Punishment [High]
  • 744.2655(a): Administering Medication—How to Administer Medication [High]
  • 744.2655(b): Administering Medication—How to Administer Medication [(2) High; (1), (3) Medium-High]

 

Probation B (Certified Programs)

Programs that are Texas Rising Star-certified will be placed on a six-month Probation B if a total of 26 – 40 total points are calculated within the most recent six-month CCR licensing period.

The points threshold is calculated by assigning the following points to high- and medium-high–weighted CCR deficiencies:

  • Five points are added for each high-weighted deficiency.
  • Three points are added for each medium-high-weighted deficiency.

Per CCR, deficiencies are not posted on the website until after the appeals process has been completed. Once a deficiency is posted on the CCR website, it is considered final, and Texas Rising Star impacts are applied accordingly.

If a specific licensing standard is listed on the screening form, for example, 746.3805(a), only that specific standard would apply, whereas if whole sections are listed, rather than a specific standard, such as 746.280, any deficiency cited in the whole section would apply.

Learn more about the impact of deficiencies on Texas Star Rising Status within the Guidelines, Section 4 Tables 4.1 and 4.2

Suspension Status

Suspension status occurs when a certified program falls below the Two-Star level.  A child care and early learning program that is placed on suspension status is still considered as participating in Texas Rising Star, but it is no longer considered certified and does not qualify for the Entry Level designation time frame. The program is required to maintain the Entry Level points threshold during the suspension status and will be reviewed monthly for Entry Level points threshold compliance.

Programs on suspension status will be eligible for reassessment after six months following the start of its suspension, as long as no additional specified licensing deficiencies noted within sections 3, and/or 4 of the screening form are cited during the suspension period. The program must comply with eligibility requirements and request a reassessment via the online request form within 15 months of the suspension impact.

Child care and early learning programs unable (or ineligible) to move out of suspension status by the ninth month of the suspension will not receive new Child Care Services family referrals, unless the child care program is located in a child care desert or serves an underserved population as defined and approved by TWC.

Department of Defense and Nationally Accredited Early Learning Programs

Department of Defense–Operated Child Care and Early Learning Programs

Facilities operated and monitored by the US Department of Defense (DoD) are required to meet high-quality standards established and monitored by DoD. Therefore, DoD-operated facilities receive Four-Star certification without requiring submittal of request for a certification or an assessment. DoD-operated facilities are not subject to or monitored by CCR and, therefore, not subject to the screening process. Additionally, DoD-operated facilities are not subject to the annual unannounced monitoring visit or the three-year recertification visit. Please note that programs who participate in the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) program are not considered DoD-operated as they are regulated and monitored by CCR. These programs are required by the DoD to be nationally accredited and would fall under the guidelines for TWC-Recognized National Accredited programs. For more information about MCCYN, visit Child Care Aware of America’s Military Programs web page: https://www.childcareaware.org/fee-assistancerespite/militaryprograms/

Effective October 3, 2022, Texas began participation in the MCCYN-Plus program. This program allows Texas Rising Star Three- and Four-Star programs to participate in the MCCYN-Plus program. Child care and early learning programs in Texas that have the MCCYN-Plus designation are not required to be nationally accredited and would fall under the Texas Rising Star Certification Guidelines for non-nationally accredited programs. For more information about MCCYN-Plus, visit: MCCYN-PLUS Initiative (QRIS) – Child Care Aware® of America

TWC-Recognized National Accreditations

Child care and early learning programs with a TWC-recognized national accreditation will receive a modified Initial Assessment. These facilities must meet Texas Rising Star eligibility requirements and are subject to and monitored by CCR and, therefore, are subject to ongoing screenings of licensing history. Additionally, programs with recognized accreditation are required to comply with the procedures for the annual monitoring visit and recertification assessments detailed in Section 3 of the Texas Rising Star Guidelines. Texas Rising Star staff will also verify a program’s national accreditation status at least annually.

The following national accreditations are recognized by TWC:

  • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  • National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
  • National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA)
  • National Accreditation Commission for Early Child Care and Education (NAC)
  • Council of Accreditation (COA)
  • Cognia
  • Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
  • Early Head Start and/or Head Start Programs (regulated by CCR offering wrap-around services)
  •  American Montessori Society (AMS)
  • Association Montessori International/USA (AMI/USA)
  • Middle States Association (MSA)

Note: This list is subject to change.

National accrediting entities that wish to become recognized by TWC will need to complete the Texas Rising Star Accreditation Recognition Process within the Texas Rising Star Guidelines.

Certification Process

TWC-recognized nationally accredited child care and early learning programs wishing to participate in Texas Rising Star are required to complete the following at initial assessment and upon recertification:

  • Texas Rising Star Certification Request Form (via the portal)
  • Texas Rising Star Screening Form, applicable to the facility type
  • Copy of current, valid national accreditation certificate
  • CQIP developed in partnership with a Texas Rising Star mentor or self-developed by the program

All nationally accredited early learning programs, other than those operated and monitored by the DoD, are regulated and monitored by CCR, subject to the screening process, and required to comply with the procedures for the Initial Assessment, Annual Monitoring visit, and Recertification Assessment. Texas Rising Star staff will verify a program’s national accreditation status at least annually.