Getting Ready for Assessment

Programs interested in participating in TWC’s CCS program and achieving Texas Rising Star certification must first complete the Texas Rising Star Interest Form. This online form collects basic information about the program and submits it to the Board in the program’s local workforce development area to indicate interest and initiate next steps. Programs are required to complete the step prior to entering into a CCS Provider Agreement with their local Board.

The Texas Rising Star orientation includes an overview of the Texas Rising Star program certification process, an overview of the required and points-based measures on which a child care and early learning program’s quality certification is determined, and an introduction to the on-site assessment process through which a program attains Texas Rising Star certification. TWC Child Care rule §809.133(a) requires all prospective Texas Rising Star child care and early learning programs to participate in an orientation before submitting their request for certification. An online, self-instructional orientation is available via CLI Engage’s Course Catalog for early learning programs to view. A live orientation session may also be provided by local Texas Rising Star staff.

For information on accessing the orientation on CLI Engage, please see Provider Resources, under Children’s Learning Institute.

The purpose of the Texas Rising Star self-assessment tool is to provide programs with a guided review of their programs to determine if they are ready to proceed with the Texas Rising Star Initial Assessment. The tool covers all Texas Rising Star required and points-based quality measures that are scored in the Initial Assessment.

TWC Chapter 809 Child Care Services rule §809.133 requires that programs complete a Texas Rising Star self-assessment of the Facility Assessment Record Form (FARF). The self-assessment must be submitted with the accompanying documents (see Step 4). The self-assessment must be submitted with the Texas Rising Star Certification Request Form and accompanying documents (see Step 4).

Programs may opt to submit the Classroom Assessment Record Form (CARF) for each classroom in their program. Completing the CARF self-assessment can clarify whether a program would benefit from additional time and mentoring before the Initial Assessment. The FARF and the CARF are available on the Texas Rising Star Tools tab.

Programs are encouraged to collaborate with their local Board for mentoring and technical assistance.

Helpful resources are also available on the Digital Resource Collection tab.

Tips for Self-Assessment

• Read over the self-assessment tools, the FARF, and the age-appropriate CARF completely before beginning. Have staff read all information, too.
• Identify what items are ready for the assessment, what will need to be completed before the assessment, and what questions should be asked of Texas Rising Star staff in order to be completely prepared.
• Consult your Texas Rising Star mentor to discuss the results of the self-assessment, ask questions, and take the next step in the assessment process.

When the child care and early learning program is ready for assessment, the program must complete the Texas Rising Star Certification Request Form (via the portal) and upload within CLI Engage the certification eligibility documents described below.

As part of the certification eligibility packet, the program must complete the following documents for certification.

All forms are available on the Texas Rising Star Tools tab of this website.

• Texas Rising Star Screening Form (applicable to the facility type)
• Texas Rising Star FARF self-assessment
• Texas Rising Star CARF for each classroom (optional)
• CQIP (created in collaboration with the assigned mentor within CLI Engage or self-developed by the child care and early learning program)

Finally, the program must collect several additional documents that are used to verify required and points-based measures for the facility and staff. These documents must be made available for review prior to (or during) the Initial Assessment.

A detailed list of these documents is included in the Facility Assessment Record Form (all facilities). Two checklists are provided: measures that are required for certification and points-based measures. Programs are not required to meet all the point-based measures. If the program uses the Workforce Registry (WFR) the assessor will verify applicable uploaded items electronically through the registry. Any documents submitted by the program must accurately depict the program’s regular daily staffing and classroom composition.

After the Texas Rising Star assessor staff receives the applicable documents and confirms the program’s eligibility, the assessor will contact the program with the program’s two-week window for assessment.