We strive to connect parents with high quality child care, and to connect child care providers with as many resources as possible. These quality initiatives give our providers and parents more access to information on high quality child care and education.
College Scholarships for Child Development Courses
Returning Students
If you are currently enrolled at Amarillo College, click the yellow button below to access and print the Summer 2025 scholarship application.
Note: Submission of complete application and supporting documentation DOES NOT guarantee scholarship award.
First Time Amarillo College Students
If you have never attended classes at Amarillo College, click the yellow button below to access enrollment information before completing the scholarship application.
Submit your completed scholarship application, student statement, and unofficial transcript (if applicable) by Monday, April 28, 2025 by 3:00PM. Applications can be submitted in the following ways:
- Scan and send via email to chixon@wspanhandle.com; OR
- USPS mail to 3120 Eddy ST Amarillo, TX 79106 – ATTENTION: Cynthia Hixon; OR
- Hand deliver to 3120 Eddy ST Amarillo, TX 79106
*Incomplete applications and applications received after the due date AND time deadline will NOT be considered.*
Texas Rising Star Program
Effective October 3, 2022, all CCS child care and early learning programs must participate in the Texas Rising Star program. In order to be a CCS provider, child care and early learning programs must:
- meet the Entry- Level designation point threshold; and
- attain at least a Two-Star certification level within 24 months
Across Texas, parents and families enroll their children in childcare programs, including center-based and home-based programs. Numerous research studies have shown that at-risk children who attend higher-quality childcare programs are more prepared for school entry than children who do not attend quality childcare programs.
Those providers that voluntarily achieve TRS provider certification, offering quality care that exceeds the State’s Minimum Child Care Licensing Standards for director and staff qualifications, caregiver-child interactions, age-appropriate curricula and activities, nutrition and indoor/outdoor activities, and parent involvement and education, are in a better position to contribute to the early development of children. As providers progress through the levels of TRS provider certification, they contribute progressively more to the development of the children they serve on a daily basis.
Learn more about the Texas Rising Star Program
Pre-K Partnerships
In November 2021, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) approved $26 million for the expansion of prekindergarten (pre-k) partnerships.
A pre-k partnership is a collaboration between a school district or charter school and one or more quality-rated* child care programs to provide high-quality care and education to eligible three- and four-year-old children.
*Child care programs must meet at least one of the five quality criteria in Texas Education Code §29.153(g) to be considered for a formal pre-k partnership.
Learn more about Pre-K Partnerships
National Early Childhood Program Accreditation
The National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) supports the profession of early care and education by encouraging the availability of high-quality child care programs.
NECPA was established in 1991 to encourage quality and recognize excellence and promote reliable measures of quality in the early childhood field both nationally and abroad.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.
NAEYC advances a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. The association comprises nearly 60,000 individual members of the early childhood community and more than 50 Affiliates, all committed to delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning. They work to achieve a collective vision: that all young children thrive and learn in a society dedicated to ensuring they reach their full potential.
Texas School Ready
Texas School Ready is a comprehensive preschool teacher training program combining a research-based, state-adopted curriculum with ongoing professional development and progress monitoring tools. The goal of this program is to help children be better prepared for school.
Learn more about Texas School Ready
Licensing Information for Child Care Providers
Chapter 42 of the Texas Human Resources Code requires the Health and Human Services Commission to regulate child care and child-placing activities in Texas and to create and enforce minimum standards.
