Childcare CPR & first aid requirements

First Aid & CPR Texas

If you work in childcare in Texas — whether at a daycare, preschool, home-based care, or camp — first aid and CPR certification is not optional. It's a licensing requirement, and for good reason: children are among the most vulnerable to choking, allergic reactions, and injuries. Being prepared to respond can mean everything.

Requirements at a glance

Regulatory framework26 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 746, Subchapter D (Minimum Standards for Child-Care Centers), sec. 746.1315 et seq., administered by HHSC Child Care Regulation. Each caregiver and the director must hold current pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR certification. Training must be obtained within 90 days of employment; at least one employee with current pediatric CPR must be on the premises at all times. Blended learning (online plus hands-on manikin practice and testing) is expressly permitted.
Governing authorityTexas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), Child Care Regulation
Training hours24 hours required
New hire deadlineWithin 90 days of hire
Min. certified staffEach caregiver and the director must hold current pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR certification; at least one employee with current pediatric CPR must be on the premises at all times while children are in care.
Online training acceptanceOnline courses accepted
24 hours requiredOnline courses accepted

What Texas requires

Texas holds child care centers to a demanding standard under 26 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 746, enforced by HHSC Child Care Regulation: every caregiver and the director must hold current pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR certification, obtained within 90 days of employment. At least one employee with current pediatric CPR must be on the premises at all times children are in care. The rules expressly allow blended learning — online coursework paired with hands-on manikin practice and testing — so staff can train efficiently without cutting the skills that matter.

Anaphylaxis and medication administration

Chapter 746 requires written parental authorization before staff give any medication, including a child's prescribed epinephrine auto-injector. A center that chooses to keep stock, unassigned epinephrine on hand must adopt policies that comply with Texas Department of State Health Services standards and must notify a parent after any emergency use during a suspected anaphylactic reaction. Building an individual care plan for each allergic child, with authorization and device in place, keeps the center squarely within the rule and ready to act.

How our courses meet these requirements

A recognized, standards-based certification — online theory paired with a hands-on skills check — meets Texas’s requirement and keeps your team ready to act.

Don't wait for renewal day

A child's airway can close in under a minute, and Texas puts a certified caregiver in the room precisely because those first seconds decide the outcome. Certification replaces panic with practiced hands and gives the families who trust you their child every morning a reason to feel safe doing so. A recognized, standards-based course — online theory plus an in-person manikin skills check — meets HHSC's requirement, keeps your license current, and leaves your whole team genuinely prepared.