Become a Child Care Center Director Frequently Asked Questions

How to I Become a Director for a child care center in Texas?

You must meet the qualifications to become a child care center director in Texas. What qualifications must the director of my child-care center licensed for 13 or more children meet?

The director of a child-care center licensed for 13 or more children must:

Be at least 21 years of age

Have a high school diploma or its equivalent, 

Meet one of the following combinations of education and experience, as defined in §746.1021 of this title (relating to What constitutes experience in a licensed child-care center, or in a licensed or registered child-care home?):

Education Experience

(1) A bachelor’s degree with 12 college credit hours in child development and six college credit hours in business management, and at least one year of experience in a licensed child-care center;

(2) An associate’s of applied science degree in child development or a closely related field with six college credit hours in child development and six college credit hours in business management. A “closely related field” is any educational instruction pertaining to the growth, development, physical or mental care, or education of children ages birth through 13 years, and at least two years of experience in a licensed child-care center;

(3) Sixty college credit hours with nine college credit hours in child development and six college credit hours in business management, and at least two years of experience in a licensed child-care center;

(4) A child-care administrator’s certificate from a community college with at least 15 college credit hours in child development and three college credit hours in business management, and at least two years of experience in a licensed child-care center;

(5) A Child Development Associate credential or Certified Child-Care Professional credential with six college credit hours in business management, and at least two years of experience in a licensed child-care center;

(6) A day-care administrator’s credential issued by a professional organization or educational institution and approved by Licensing based on criteria specified in Subchapter P of Chapter 745 of this title, (relating to Day-Care Administrator’s Credential Program), and at least two years of experience in a licensed child-care center; or

(7) Nine college credit hours in child development and nine college credit hours in business management, and at least three years of experience in a licensed child-care center.

Day Care Director Credentialing 

FAQ's

Can I get my director’s certificate before I interview for a director position? NO. To obtain a Texas Director Certificate, you must be listed with a child care operation and have a current background check. 

Do I have to have experience in a child care program? YES! Experience in a center is key to the success of your program. Directors must be competent in all areas of running a child care program. The experience you have will prepare you for child care management. 

What qualifies as experience? §746.1021. What constitutes experience in a licensed child-care center, or in a licensed or registered child-care home? (a) Only the following types of experience may be counted as experience in a licensed child-care center:

(1) Experience as a director, assistant director, or as a caregiver working directly with children in a DFPS licensed or certified child-care center (or similar type of day care center that was formerly licensed, certified, or accredited by DFPS); and

(2) Experience as a director, assistant director, or caregiver working directly with children in a licensed or certified child-care center in another state or country.

(b) Only experience working directly with children in a DFPS licensed or registered child-care home (or in a group day-care home that was formerly licensed by DFPS) as an assistant caregiver, substitute caregiver, or primary caregiver may be counted as experience in a licensed or registered child-care home.

(c) You must have obtained all work experience in a full-time capacity or its equivalent in a part-time capacity. Full-time is defined as at least 30 hours per week. The work experience may be paid or unpaid.

Can I include experience from my church nursery towards my qualifications?

NO. Experience must be from a licensed operation 

Are there any other types of experience that could be applied to the requirement? Yes. The below-mentioned experience can be applied to the experience requirement in a licensed child-care center, or in a licensed or registered child-care home:

(1) One year of full-time classroom teaching in a public or private accredited school in grades pre-kindergarten through third, during a customary school year; (2) Substitute or part-time classroom teaching in a public or private accredited school in grades pre-kindergarten through third, if the total length of time adds up to one year of full-time teaching during a customary school year; and

(3) One year of post-graduate study in child development, early childhood education, or a closely related field.

What courses count towards the educational requirements?

Courses in early childhood education, child growth and development, psychology, sociology, classroom management, child psychology, health and safety of children, elementary education related to pre-kindergarten through third grade, and other similar courses may be counted, provided the course content relates to child development or the topics specified in §746.1309 of this title (relating to How many clock hours of annual training must be obtained by caregivers?). Abnormal psychology and secondary education courses are not recognized as child development. §746.1029.

What courses count toward the management requirements? 

Management courses may include administration of a child-care facility, recreational leadership, accounting, goal and objective setting, performance planning and evaluation, management techniques, risk management, and other administrative, management, or supervisory-related courses. Courses in office machines or computer training are not recognized as management. 

If you are interested in becoming a child care center director, please review our course schedules to enroll into the program: https://emergentedccc.com/collections/texas-child-care-administrators-course

(Daycare Director Credentialing FAQ 1/2019, Child Care Licensing)