Texas childcare center staff are required by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to complete annual continuing education: 24 hours per year for teachers and 30 hours per year for directors. At least 6 hours must cover child development topics including guidance and discipline and teacher‑child interaction. brightwheel Professional Development courses are accepted toward these requirements, and staff completion is tracked automatically within brightwheel.
| Annual CE hours (teachers) | 24 hours per training year |
| Annual CE hours (directors) | 30 hours per training year |
| Required competency hours | At least 6 hours in child growth/development, guidance and discipline, curriculum, or teacher‑child interaction |
| Instructor‑led requirement | Minimum 20% of annual hours must be instructor‑led |
| Pre‑service training (new staff) | 24 hours total (8 hours before working with children; 16 hours within 90 days) |
| Regulatory authority | Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) |
| Licensing chapter | Chapter 746 (Centers) / Chapter 747 (Licensed homes) |
| brightwheel approved in Texas | ✓ Yes — accepted by Texas HHSC |
| Auto‑posts to TX Registry (TECPDS) | ✓ Yes — completed course hours post automatically to staff TECPDS accounts |
| Courses available in Texas | View courses across 8 CDA competency areas |
Browse courses by competency area in Texas
Each competency area maps to CDA standards and satisfies Texas’s continuing education requirements. Select a competency area to explore available courses.
Safe and Healthy Environment
Health and safety, nutrition, emergency preparedness, classroom setup
Physical and Intellectual Development
Child growth, developmental milestones, motor skills, cognition
Social and Emotional Development
Social-emotional learning, behavior guidance, relationships, inclusion
Families
Family communication, partnerships, cultural responsiveness
Program Management
Administrative operations, staff management, licensing compliance
Professionalism
Professional standards, ethics, advocacy, career development
Observation and Documentation
Observational methods, documentation, assessment tools, portfolios
Child Development
Cross-cutting child development principles across all domains
Texas Rising Star and brightwheel
Texas Rising Star (TRS) is Texas’s voluntary quality rating and improvement system for childcare programs participating in the Texas Workforce Commission’s Child Care Services (CCS) subsidy program. TRS certification signals quality above the HHSC licensing floor — and directly affects a program’s ability to serve subsidized families, since higher TRS star levels unlock higher reimbursement rates from TWC.
TRS evaluates programs across four criteria domains, with Caregiver‑Child Interactions as the highest‑weighted area. Staff training records documented through TECPDS feed directly into TRS’s Caregiver Qualifications criteria — making brightwheel’s HHSC‑accepted, TECPDS auto‑posting courses a direct contributor to TRS star advancement. Programs working toward initial TRS certification or a higher star level can direct staff to brightwheel’s full CDA‑aligned catalog as a targeted investment in documented qualifications that TRS assessors evaluate.
Supports TRS Star Level Advancement
TRS programs are rated Level 1 through Level 4. Staff training hours documented in TECPDS contribute to TRS’s Caregiver Qualifications criteria — one of four TRS domains. brightwheel courses auto‑post to TECPDS and cover skills directly relevant to TRS’s highest‑weighted domain: Caregiver‑Child Interactions.
Texas Rising Star program →TRS certification levels →Frequently asked questions — Texas
State‑accepted professional development courses in brightwheel
Brightwheel offers expert‑led, IACET‑accredited courses accepted by Texas HHSC — with automatic tracking and TECPDS registry auto‑posting built in.
View full course roster
Accreditation: Brightwheel is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.