In Texas, child care is regulated by the Child Care Regulation (CCR) department of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Chapter 42 of the Texas Human Resources Code requires HHSC to regulate child care and to create and enforce minimum standards. The state publishes each operation's permit and compliance history online, and you can check it yourself in a few minutes.
Step 1: Search the state's database
Go to Search Texas Child Care, the official HHSC search. You can search by operation name, city, ZIP code or operation number. Every listing on this site links straight to that operation's official state page.
Step 2: Confirm the operation type and permit
Texas issues different kinds of permits. The state record shows the operation type (for example, Licensed Center, Licensed Child-Care Home, Registered Child-Care Home or Listed Family Home) and the type of issuance (for example, Initial or Full Permit) with an issuance date. This site lists only operations whose type is Licensed Center.
Also check:
- Conditions on permit: whether the state has placed conditions on the permit.
- Total capacity: the maximum number of children the permit allows.
- Ages licensed to serve: infant, toddler, Pre-Kindergarten and/or school age.
- Corrective or adverse action: HHSC uses a corrective action when an operation has a pattern of deficiencies or a single serious deficiency, and an adverse action (which can include closing an operation or permanent conditions on a permit) when a corrective action doesn't reduce the risk.
Step 3: Read the compliance history, not just the totals
The state record shows inspections, reports, self reports and assessments, plus deficiencies by weight. HHSC says deficiencies "are detailed in a short narrative" and that the record also shows how the operation corrected each one. Read those narratives. See what inspection deficiencies mean for how the weights work.
Step 4: Ask the director
HHSC suggests sharing any concerns or questions with the director, and asking how the operation plans to prevent a deficiency from happening again. Questions worth asking:
- Which deficiencies were cited, and what changed afterward?
- Have any deficiencies repeated in the last two years?
- How long did it take to come into compliance?
Step 5: Check again before you enroll
Records change as new inspections happen. The listings on this site were copied from state data retrieved October 20, 2026; the official state record is always the most current source.
Sources
- Texas HHSC, What Are CCR Reports, Inspections and Enforcement Actions?
- Texas HHSC, Search Texas Child Care
- Texas HHSC, HHSC CCL Daycare and Residential Operations Data (data.texas.gov)