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
Funding is available for FALL 2022 scholarships for child development courses at Amarillo College. AC offers evening and on-line classes. Additionally, the child development classes you take can go towards the annual Child Care Regulation and Texas Rising Star (TRS) training hour requirements.
Eligible applicants must be currently employed at a child care program (home or center based) in the Texas Panhandle who provides subsidy care.
If you are unsure if you are eligible to apply, please contact Tina Maloney at 806-350-1719.
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Texas Rising Star Program
Across Texas, parents and families enroll their children into child care programs, including center-based and home-based programs. Numerous research studies have shown that at-risk children who attend higher-quality child care programs are more prepared for school entry than children who do not attend quality child care 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
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.
