All child care programs in the state are required to comply with basic health and safety regulations, known as minimum licensing standards. Many child care programs, including Texas Rising Star certified providers, choose to exceed these minimum licensing standards by providing higher quality learning environments for the children in their programs.
Child care licensing in Texas is handled by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Child Care Regulation (CCR) division. Their mission is to protect children through regulation and education.
Child Care Regulation responsibilities include the following:
- Regulating all child care operations and child-placing agencies to protect the health, safety and well-being of children in care
- Permitting and monitoring operations and agencies for compliance with state licensing standards, rules and laws
- Investigating complaints alleging violations of minimum standards and reports of abuse or neglect in daycare and residential child care operations
- Informing parents and the public about child care, including how specific daycare and residential childcare operations are complying with minimum standards of care
- Giving child care providers technical assistance on meeting licensing standards, rules and laws
Here are some key resources related to child care regulation:
Texas Health and Human Services Commission Child Care Regulation website—en Español
- Minimum Standards for Child-Care Centers—CCR minimum standards for child care centers
- Center-Based Child Care Standards and Regulations FAQ—CCR answers the most frequently asked questions about center-based child care standards and regulations.
- Minimum Standards for Child Care Homes —CCR minimum standards for child care homes
- Child Care Home Provider Standards and Regulations FAQ—CCR answers the most frequently asked questions about home-based child care standards and regulations.
- Minimum Standards for School-Age and Before- or After-School Programs—CCR minimum standards for school-age and before- or after-school programs
- Child Care Regulations Criminal Convictions Charts — these charts include specific offenses and what action, if any, a conviction for that offense may require in different types of child care settings
- National Resource Center (NRC) for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education — The NRC Mission is to improve the quality of child care and early education programs by supporting child care providers and early educators, families, health professionals, early childhood comprehensive systems, state child care regulatory agencies, state and local health departments and policy makers in their efforts to identify and promote healthy and safe child care and early education programs.
- HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics)—Educational resources and tools about a variety of child health and wellness topics, including nutrition, fitness, oral health, sleep, media plans, immunizations, child development and more.
- Child Maltreatment Fatality Report — This report shows annual aggregate data based on administrative data and individual case reviews for confirmed child abuse and neglect related fatalities each year.