LCC Administrator or LCP Agency Administrator FAQs

Applications

How do I apply for a license?

Submit all completed application materials with an application fee, and a background check fee as needed. You can download the application materials from the Become a Licensed Administrators page.

How do I apply for both licenses at once?

To apply for both licenses at once, you must submit:

  1. An application fee for each license;
  2. A background check fee, as needed; and
  3. All completed application materials, except that you must have two employer references, one verifying your supervisory experience in a qualifying residential child care setting and the other verifying your supervisory experience in a child-placing agency.

You can download the application materials from the Become a Licensed Administrators page.

How do I apply for one license if I already have the other license?

If you have a valid Administrator’s License and want to apply for the other license type, you must submit:

  1. An application fee;
  2. An updated complete application form; and
  3. An employer reference verifying your required supervisory experience.

What are the eligibility requirements?

What qualifies as one year of management/ supervisory experience?

  1. To qualify for a Child Care Administrator’s License, you must substantiate through an employer reference that:
    1. You have completed the one year of full-time experience in management or supervision of residential child care personnel and programs within the past ten years;
    2. Your experience was at a general residential operation, residential treatment center, or a comparable residential institution in which you worked primarily with children;
    3. If you were not solely responsible for implementing the operation's child care program, that you shared in that responsibility; and
    4. You supervised at least one member of the child care staff and your supervision responsibilities included assigning duties, hiring, disciplining, rewarding, approving leave requests and conducting formal employee evaluations.
  2. To qualify for a Child-Placing Agency Administrator’s License, you must substantiate through an employer reference that:
    1. You have completed the one year of full-time experience in management or supervision of child-placing personnel and programs within the past ten years;
    2. Your experience was at a child-placing agency, as defined in Human Resources Code, §42.002(12) and Texas Administrative Code §745.37(3)(F);
    3. If you were not solely responsible for implementing the agency's child-placing program, that you shared in that responsibility; and
    4. You supervised at least one member of the child-placing agency staff and your supervision responsibilities included assigning duties, hiring, disciplining, rewarding, approving leave requests, and conducting formal employee evaluations. "Child-placing agency staff" are persons who, under the auspices of a child-placing agency, plan for the placement of or place a child in a child care operation, agency foster home, or adoptive home.
  3. Experience as a foster parent, adoptive parent, or any other type of caregiver or staff person in an agency home does not meet the requirements of subsections (a) or (b) of this section.

Is there a study guide for the exam?

The only study guide for either exam is the applicable minimum standards. For the child-placing agency exam, you can expect to answer questions related to both foster care and adoption. We do not offer any other study materials for these exams.

The exam is multiple choice and includes questions covering the following topics:

  • Current minimum standards
  • Resource development and fiscal management
  • Professional ethics in administration
  • Personnel management
  • Child development
  • Child psychology (basics regarding abused and neglected children in residential care)
  • Program development
  • Client rights
  • Professional legal liabilities
  • Cultural competencies

How many times can I take the exam?

Once you have been approved to take an exam, you have three opportunities to pass that exam. If you fail the exam three times, you must wait one year from the date of your last failed exam before you can re-apply for that same license.

Why must all application materials be originals (not copies)?

We have found that requiring original documents decreases incidents of fraud and forgery. However, if you have an original transcript that you would like to keep, please submit the original to us with a note that you would like it back after we view it. We can make a copy and return it to you as requested.

Replace a lost or damaged Administrator License?

Submit a written request and a $5 payment in the form of check or money order made out to the Texas Health and Human Service Commission. Submit to:

Administrator Licensing
Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Administrator Licensing
P.O. Box 16017, RCCL Mail Code 173-2
Houston, TX 77222

Renewals

When will Child Care Regulation send me my license renewal information?

Child Care Regulation currently mails all renewal reminders during the last week of the month prior to the month in which the license is due to expire. For example, if your license will expire in April, your renewal reminder will be mailed during the last week of March.

Can I renew a Provisional Licensed Child Care Administrator License?

No, a Provisional Licensed Child Care Administrator License cannot be renewed. Work and management experience for a Full Licensed Child Care Administrator License must be completed within 24 months from the date the provisional license was approved.

How much training is required to renew my license?

You must submit 15 hours of training for each year of your two-year renewal cycle. Training hours may not be carried over from one year to the next or from one renewal cycle to the next.

What requirements must continuing education meet in order to count towards renewal of my administrator’s license?

  • To qualify as continuing education for renewal of an administrator’s license, training must:
    • Be designed for professional-level staff and to enhance knowledge/skills related to residential child care or business management;
    • Include studies of child care, concepts related to the field of social work, or other subjects approved by Child Care Regulation;
    • Must be directly related to the type of administrator’s license that you are seeking to renew with the training. For example, to renew a child-placing agency administrator’s license, your training must be directly related to being the administrator of a child-placing agency.
  • The following does NOT qualify as continuing education for renewal of an administrator’s license:
    • Training designed for direct-care staff. Examples of training for direct-care staff include CPR, First Aid, and annual refresher trainings on subjects such as emergency behavior intervention, psychotropic medication, and other topics related to direct care;
    • Meetings, including unit meetings, case staffing, and community meetings; or
    • Training on the policies and procedures of an operation where the administrator serves.
  • You must complete the training as an attendee. Training that you present does not count towards renewal requirements.
  • If you take the same training more than once during the renewal period, you may only count the training once for the renewal of your license.
  • You must have documentation demonstrating your completion of the course from the training source. The documentation must include the date(s) of the training, the clock hours earned, and clearly identify the training source.

Will training count toward both administrator license types?

The same training hours may be counted toward both licenses only if the training appropriately applies to both license types. For example, training on adoption law would count toward renewal of a Child-Placing Agency Administrator’s License but not a Child Care Administrator’s License. However, training on federal equal employment opportunity hiring requirements and guidelines would count toward renewal of both licenses.

What are the renewal fees?

For Renewing Your License as Active
If we receive the renewal fee:Then your renewal fee amount will be:
(1) On or before the expiration date,$50
(2) Within 90 days after the expiration date,$75
(3) More than 90 days but less than one year after the expiration date,$100
For Renewing Your License as Inactive
If we receive the renewal fee:Then your renewal fee amount will be:
(1) On or before the expiration date,$25
(2) Within 90 days after the expiration date,$37.50
(3) More than 90 days but less than one year after the expiration date,$50

Your license is no longer eligible for renewal once it has been expired for one year.

What is inactive status?

Inactive status allows you to maintain your Administrator’s License when you are not employed as the Licensed Administrator for a facility or agency. You may voluntarily request to put your license on inactive status at any time. You are not required to obtain training hours for your license renewal while your license is on inactive status. However, you are still required to renew your license every two years.

How do I put my license on inactive status?

Notify us in writing that you would like your license placed on inactive status.

How do I take my license off of inactive status?

To renew your inactive Administrator’s License as active, you must submit to us a:

  1. Completed renewal form;
  2. $50 renewal fee; and
  3. Completed background check form and fee.

To change your status from inactive to active in the middle of a renewal period, you must submit to us a:

  1. Written request to change your status;
  2. $25 fee; and
  3. Completed background check form and fee.

Background Checks

Are background checks required for Licensed Administrators?

Licensed Administrator applicants must submit a background check request with their application. Also, if a general residential operation or child-placing agency intends to hire the applicant, the operation must submit a background check.

Child Care Licensing will submit a renewal background check once the Form 3014, Administrator License - Renewal or Status Change form is received. Also if the If the License Administrator is employed at a general residential operation or child-placing agency, the operation must submit a renewal background check.

How must background check requests be submitted for a Licensed Administrator or applicant?

There are two possible ways to request a background check on behalf of a Licensed Administrator or applicant:

If a current staff member applies to become a Licensed Administrator, is a new background check required?

If a Licensed Administrator applicant is employed in a different position at an operation, the operation must submit a new background check request with the role of "Licensed Administrator" selected and the results of the background check must be processed before the individual can fill the role of a Licensed Administrator.

Are Licensed Administrators required to have a fingerprint-based FBI check and within what timeframe?

Yes, you must submit a fingerprint check if you do not already have a valid FBI check on file in accordance with the following timeframes listed below.

FBI Fingerprint Requirements
Persons Requiring an FBI Fingerprint CheckWhen an FBI Fingerprint Check Is Due
Applicant for an administrator’s licensePrior to licensure
Licensed administrator for the renewal of his or her active licenseBy his or her renewal date
Licensed administrator who desires to change his or her license status from inactive to activeBefore the license status can change from inactive to active

Anyone for whom:

  • a risk evaluation has been requested; and
  • a risk evaluation decision is pending
Before the risk evaluation decision will be issued

Once a Licensed Administrator has submitted his/her fingerprints for an FBI criminal history check, will that person be required to submit his/her fingerprints again in the future?

When submitting background checks to HHSC, operations should select the "FBI Check Required" checkbox every time a background check is submitted for a Licensed Administrator. The fingerprinting fee (see FAQ directly below) is not associated with selecting the "FBI Check Required" checkbox; the fingerprinting fee applies to each time a person requires a new set of fingerprints. (For more information regarding who is required to have a fingerprint check, refer to TAC §745.615.)

Persons who have previously submitted their fingerprints for an FBI check and have completed a name-based background check (DPS criminal history and Central Registry) at least every 24 months thereafter generally do not need to be fingerprinted again. However, if a name-based check is not requested every 24 months as required by rule, new fingerprints will be required.

Where can I find fingerprinting instructions and fees?

How and when may I pay the fingerprinting fee?

The fee is paid directly to the fingerprinting vendor by:

  • credit card or billing account number* at the time the appointment is scheduled; or by
  • check (personal or business) or money order at the time of the appointment.

A billing account number is set up directly with the fingerprinting vendor and is strictly for the payment of fingerprinting fees.

General

Can I be the Licensed Administrator for more than one operation?

In order for a Licensed Administrator to be an administrator for two operations:

  1. The administrator must split a full-time schedule between the two operations as described in the professional staffing plans for each operation.
  2. Both operations must be in good standing with Child Care Regulation;
  3. The size and scope of the operations are manageable by one person, which is clarified in the written professional staffing plan for each operation;
  4. At least one child-placing agency, if applicable, is not managing more than 25 foster homes; and
  5. The operations, if neither is a child-placing agency, are contiguous.

How often are the directories of Licensed Administrators updated?

The directories are updated at least quarterly.