Principles of Management
Self-paced online Principles of Management course (Business 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TexasChild care
What counts as 'management' credit under Texas minimum standards
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Management credit hours for a Texas child care director are defined in 746.1029: courses such as administration of a child-care facility, accounting, goal setting, performance planning and evaluation, management techniques, risk management and other administrative or supervisory courses. Office machines and computer training do not count, and Licensing decides each course.
The rule in 746.1029
Texas minimum standards say that, because course titles and content vary so much, it is impossible to list every course that may count toward the management requirement. Instead the rule gives examples of what may be included and two kinds of course that are not.
This leaves room for judgement. A course called something other than management can still count if its content is administrative, managerial or supervisory.
- Administration of a child-care facility
- Recreational leadership
- Accounting
- Goal and objective setting
- Performance planning and evaluation
- Management techniques and risk management
- Other administrative, management or supervisory courses
What does not count
746.1029 names office machines and computer training as courses that are not recognised as management. A spreadsheet or office software course will not fill the management hours, even if you use it to run the center's books.
On the child development side, 746.1027 says abnormal psychology and secondary education courses are not recognised as child development, so check both lists if a course could be read either way.
How Licensing checks a course
Under 746.1031, if Licensing asks, the center must provide original transcripts and supporting documents, such as a course catalog description or a syllabus or outline, so Licensing can decide whether a course is management. Keep those documents from the start.
Clock hours and CEUs are the other route: 746.1037 lets 50 clock hours or five CEUs replace every three college credit hours of management or child development, documented as 746.1329 requires.
| Item | Why Licensing wants it |
|---|---|
| Original transcript | Shows the credit hours and the grade |
| Catalog description | Shows what the course covered |
| Syllabus or outline | Shows topics when the title is unclear |
| Training certificates | Show clock hours or CEUs in place of credit |
Courses that look like a good fit
Based on the examples in 746.1029, business courses that teach planning, staffing, budgeting and supervision are the natural candidates. Principles of Management covers management techniques and planning. Human Resources Management covers hiring and performance evaluation. Managerial Accounting is accounting. Foundations of Leadership covers supervision.
UPI Study offers these in PRO at $99 a month. UPI Study is not accredited, and its courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended; they become college credit only via a college transcript from a partner college such as TESU, UoPeople or Newlane. Whether Licensing counts them is its decision.
Ask before you pay
Send Child Care Regulation the course description and ask whether it would count as management credit, and in what form it needs the proof: a college transcript, or certificates for clock hours. Keep the written answer with your director file. A short email now can save a course that does not count.
If Licensing says a course will not count, ask what it would accept instead. The answer often points to a named course at a community college, or to approved training clock hours, and either keeps your plan on track while you build the experience the route also needs.
- Name the course and provider
- Attach the description or syllabus
- Ask whether it counts as management
- Ask what proof Licensing needs
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask Child Care Regulation to confirm in writing that a course will count as management credit before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Does a business degree cover the management hours?
A business degree usually includes several management, accounting or supervisory courses, which 746.1029 lists as examples. Licensing still looks at the courses on the transcript, so keep the catalog descriptions handy.
Can workshops count as management hours?
Clock hours or CEUs can stand in: 50 clock hours or five CEUs for every three college credit hours, under 746.1037. The training must be documented the way 746.1329 requires.
Is a leadership course management?
Recreational leadership is named in 746.1029, and other supervisory courses may count. A general leadership course is likely to be judged on its content, so send Licensing the description first.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Managerial Accounting
Self-paced online Managerial Accounting course (Accounting 210). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Foundations of Leadership
Self-paced online Foundations of Leadership course (Business 205). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Management courses in one plan; ask Child Care Regulation in writing first.
Sources
- HHSC Child Care Regulation: Minimum Standards for Child-Care Centers (Chapter 746, revised December 2025; read from the Internet Archive copy of https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/provider-portal/protective-services/ccl/min-standards/chapter-746-centers.pdf) (official)746.1015 (13+ children): age 21, diploma or equivalent, and one of: (1) bachelor degree with 12 credit hours child development and 6 management + 1 year experience in a licensed center; (2) AAS in child development or closely related field with 6 child development and 6 management + 2 years; (3) 60 credit hours with 9 child development and 6 management + 2 years; (4) community college child-care administrator's certificate with at least 15 child development and 3 management + 2 years; (5) 6 management hours with a CDA or CCP credential + 2 years; (6) approved day-care administrator's credential + 2 years; (7) 9 child development and 9 management + 3 years. 746.1017 (12 or fewer): lower management hours (3). 746.1027 child development courses (abnormal psychology and secondary education not recognised). 746.1029 management courses: administration of a child-care facility, recreational leadership, accounting, goal setting, performance planning and evaluation, management techniques, risk management and other administrative, management or supervisory courses; office machines or computer training not recognised. 746.1031 original transcripts plus catalog description or syllabus if requested. 746.1037 50 clock hours or 5 CEUs may replace every 3 college credit hours in child development and management. 746.1021 experience is full-time (30+ hours a week) in a licensed center. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.