Texas requires licensed childcare staff to complete 24 hours per year for teachers and 30 hours per year for directors of continuing education as a condition of state licensing. Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these requirements — topics such as curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying categories under the Texas HHSC (Chapter 746) continuing education requirements. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Texas and offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses that staff can complete on demand, with all completions tracked automatically in brightwheel. brightwheel courses auto‑post completed hours directly to the TECPDS Registry.
| Annual CE hours (teachers) | 24 hours per training year |
| Annual CE hours (directors) | 30 hours per training year |
| Training period | Annual |
| Physical and Intellectual Development maps to | curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development |
| Regulatory authority | Texas HHSC (Chapter 746) |
| brightwheel approved in Texas | ✓ Yes — accepted for Texas CE requirements |
| Auto‑posts to TECPDS Registry | ✓ Yes — completed course hours post automatically to staff registry accounts |
| Physical and Intellectual Development courses in Texas | View brightwheel courses |
About Physical and Intellectual Development (CDA II)
Physical and Intellectual Development — CDA Competency Area II — covers the skills educators need to support children’s cognitive, language, and physical growth through intentional, developmentally appropriate learning experiences from birth through age 5.
The first five years represent the most rapid period of brain development in the human lifespan. Educators who understand how children build language, think, and develop physically are better equipped to design environments and interactions that accelerate school readiness and close developmental gaps early.
Texas Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements
Texas childcare teachers must complete 24 hours of annual continuing education, and directors must complete 30 hours, as a condition of maintaining a license from the Texas HHSC (Chapter 746). Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these hours — curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Texas and offers IACET‑accredited courses aligned with the Physical and Intellectual Development competency area.
Both teachers and directors can complete brightwheel’s Physical and Intellectual Development courses on demand — each course is 1 hour, self‑paced, and includes an assessment with a certificate of completion. All completions are recorded automatically in the brightwheel administrator dashboard, making compliance documentation straightforward for Texas licensing audits.
What Physical and Intellectual Development training covers
brightwheel’s Physical and Intellectual Development courses cover the knowledge and skills early childhood educators need to support children in this competency area. Topics include:
Texas Rising Star and Physical and Intellectual Development
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 →How brightwheel connects to the TECPDS Registry
Frequently asked questions
Other competency areas available in Texas
Meet Texas Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses accepted in Texas — with automatic tracking and TECPDS Registry auto‑posting built in.
View full course roster