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Workforce Solutions East Texas has been diligently at work to train 110 East Texas child care providers in the Texas Rising Star program. Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) administers Texas Rising Star, a quality rating and improvement system, for all providers participating in the TWC Child Care Services (CCS) program, which provides financial aid for child care to families needing assistance. Providers attain Texas Rising Star certification by meeting quality standards that exceed the state’s Child Care Regulation (CCR) minimum licensing standards and may qualify for a certification level of Two-Star, Three-Star, or Four-Star.
In September, TWC adopted rule changes, effective on October 3, 2022, to implement House Bill (HB) 2607, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2021. HB 2607 requires all child care providers in TWC’s CCS program to participate in the Texas Rising Star program. Child care providers that do not become Texas Rising Star-certified by the deadline of September 2024 cannot enroll families that receive CCS financial aid.
The East Texas region will have a total of 195 child care providers continuing in their Texas Rising Star certification once all training sessions are complete on November 16.
“Texas has one of the youngest populations in the nation, and creating a child care system focused on quality lays a foundation for lifelong learning,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “And is an important first step in creating a pipeline of talent for the future of Texas.
As of June 2022, the TWC CCS program provided financial assistance for more than 125,000 children daily. Nearly 50 percent of the families in the program have selected a Texas Rising Star child care program to care for their children. TWC offers program statistics on the Child Care by the Numbers website.
“TWC-funded Child Care Services enable parents to work or attend school. Texas Rising Star guarantees that from the youngest age, children are receiving a high-quality education,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “For a state with an exciting future, we want to invest in our workforce as early as possible.”
For more information on TWC’s Texas Rising Star program or to apply, visit the Texas Rising Star website here.
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