TX HB4980

Establishes the Child-Care Professional Pathway program administered by the commissioner to allow high school students in grades 11-12 to simultaneously earn a diploma and child-care credentials

Requires partnerships between school districts or open-enrollment charter schools and higher education institutions, governed by articulation agreements, to provide non-duplicative course sequences

Students may earn a Child Development Associate credential or an associate degree in human development, psychology, sociology, early childhood education, or related fields through the program

Program courses must be provided at no cost to students, and participation time counts toward minimum instructional hours for full-time student status and average daily attendance funding

Allows the commissioner to approve substituting one high school graduation credit with a child-care professional education course that covers equivalent essential knowledge and skills; applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year