Early Learning Program FAQs

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) scholarship child care program. Texas Rising Star certification is available to licensed Early Learning Programs (ELP) and licensed and registered Early Learning home facilities that meet the certification criteria. A Texas Rising Star-certified program must have an agreement to serve Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)-scholarship children.

The Texas Rising Star program offers three levels of quality certification (2-Star, 3-Star, and 4-Star) to encourage Early Learning Programs to attain progressively higher levels of quality. These certification levels are tied to graduated enhanced reimbursement rates for children receiving scholarships.

• Be a regulated child care provider:
• Licensed or registered with Texas Health and Human Services Child Care Licensing (CCL), or
• Operated and monitored by the U.S. military.
• Not be under Corrective or Adverse Action with CCL.
• Not be disqualified from the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
•  Accept the maximum CCS payment rate (minus parent share of cost), unless the provider published rate is lower, which is the amount that will be paid. 
• Keep records for CCS-subsidized children for 3 years and 3 months, as required by federal law.

Step 1: Contact Us 

Reach out to Child Care Services to express your interest in becoming a CCS Provider and to schedule a meeting with a Program Support Specialist.
Email: ccproviders@dfwjobs.com or 
Phone: 940-382-6712

Step 2: Attend CCS Orientation

All prospective CCS ELP’s must attend the Child Care Services Orientation. This session is a required step in the onboarding process and includes:

• An overview of Child Care Services (CCS)
• Details about the Early Learning Program (ELP) agreement
• A review of the ELP Child Care Services Manual
• An Entry-Level Overview for Texas Rising Star

Step 3: Gather and Submit Required Documentation

Before your scheduled meeting, please gather  the following:

• A copy of your license or permit (issued by DFPS, Texas Child Care Licensing, or the U.S. military)
• A copy of your published childcare rates for all age groups served

During your meeting, the Program Support  Specialist will:

• Review CCS requirements
• Learn more about your facility or home
• Schedule a follow-up (phone or in-person) to review CCS policies, complete paperwork, sign the CCS agreement, and submit your Texas Rising Star Interest Form 

Step 4: Attend Texas Rising Star Orientation 

• After signing your CCS agreement, you  are required to attend the Texas Rising Star Orientation. This session outlines the steps of becoming a Texas Rising Star Early Learning Program.

• Be related to the child by blood, marriage, or court decree.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be the child’s:
  • Grandparent 
  • Great-grandparent 
  • Aunt or uncle 
  • Sibling (living in a separate home)
• Not live in the same home as the child’s parent (exceptions may apply).
• Become a listed provider with Child Care Licensing and sign a Provider Agreement before receiving payment.
• Provide care in your own home unless one of the following applies:
  • The child has a disability that limits travel.
  • The child is under 18 months old.
  • The child is of a teen parent.
  • The parent works evenings, nights, or weekends, making outside care disruptive.
  • No other childcare options are available in the community.

For a relative provider packet, contact Child Care Services at 940-382-6712.

Licensed Early Learning Programs, licensed home-based programs, registered home-based programs, and licensed school age programs are eligible to become Texas Rising Star certified if they meet certain eligibility criteria. Learn more about Texas Rising Star eligibility.

If you would like to apply to be a Texas Rising Star-certified program, please review the information on Getting Ready to Apply to Texas Rising Star. Then, begin your application by submitting your Interest Form.

Once your Interest Form is received, you will be contacted by a Texas Rising Star Mentor to help you begin the application process and complete the application forms. Your Texas Rising Star Mentor will help go over the Texas Rising Star guidelines and assessment measures with you and help your program get everything in order to prepare for your Texas Rising Star assessment. The amount of time it takes for an ELP to move through the application process varies. An ELP that is diligently works on preparation with their Texas Rising Star Mentor can generally get ready for assessment in 2-4 months. When you are ready to move forward with assessment, you will be given a two week window of time during which your Texas Rising Star assessment will take place. Once completed, the assessment will be scored and you will be assigned your new Texas Rising Star star rating! The Director will be required to join TECPDS and create a CLI Engage account. 

Your Texas Rising Star certification is good for three years. After three years, your ELP will have to go through a reassessment to continue your active status in the program.

The Texas Rising Star program organizes measures into four categories:

Category 1: Director and Staff Qualifications and Training
Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions
Category 3: Program Administration
Category 4: Indoor/Outdoor Learning Environments

During your ELP’s Initial Assessment into the Texas Rising Star program, the assessor confirms all required measures, such as written policies, are verified. The assessor assesses the points-based measures, such as teacher-child interactions and environments in observation blocks of one to one-and-a-half hours per classroom. Programs may not become certified with only structural (required) measures reviewed.

Texas Rising Star assessors evaluate the program as a whole with the Facility Assessment Record Form (FARF) and each classroom with the age-appropriate Classroom Assessment Record For (CARF) by scoring each of the applicable measures specific to the facility type and/or the classroom’s age group. The assessor then enters the assessment scores into CLI Engage, which generates the program’s final star-level certification.

Nationally Accredited Facilities
Upon receipt of the documents for application, nationally accredited facilities will receive a modified Initial Assessment, in which the assessor observes and scores Categories 2 and 4 for all classrooms. Categories 1 and 3 are not observed/assessed during the initial assessment or recertification process. 

As a Texas Rising Star program, you could receive:

• Higher reimbursement rates with Child Care Services
• One-on-one support from a WSNCT Mentor
• Scholarships for educational and professional development opportunities
• Make improvements with access to equipment and materials
• A free invitation to the annual Texas Early Learning Summit
• Families with Child Care Services who select a Texas Rising Star program for child care can receive a 25% reduction in parent share of cost