The Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (TDPRS) oversees childcare licensing in Texas. The childcare licensing division is responsible for protecting the health, safety, and well-being of children who attend or reside in regulated childcare homes or facilities. This division enforces the minimum standards passed by the Texas legislature to inspect and regulate these childcare homes and facilities. Childcare providers must provide a copy of these minimum standards for interested readers upon request during regular business hours. These minimum standards may also be viewed online by clicking here.
The following paragraphs summarize the most important regulations for home-based, center-based, and church-based childcare in Texas.
Home-based childcare providers are categorized as (1) listed, (2) registered, or (3) licensed. The difference occurs in the minimum requirements met by a provider. Often a provider exceeds the minimum standards in many areas. TDPRS inspects registered and licensed providers on a regular basis and maintains current inspection histories of every legally operating registered and licensed childcare facility. You will find direct links to these inspections in every provider listing on this site, or you can search for other providers' inspections by entering the ZIP code on this page.
Listed providers may have up to three, unrelated children in their care at any time and are not inspected at all. No training or record keeping is required.
Registered home-based providers may have up to six children under school age (including their own) at any one time. These homes are inspected every one, two, or three years, depending on the quality of their inspection history. Homes with favorable inspection histories are visited less frequently. Registered providers must complete twenty hours per year of childcare and business related training, as well as have current first aid and CPR certification. Registered home-based childcare businesses must also maintain business and health records, maintain proper staff/child ratios, post emergency evacuation plans in their home, and much more.
Licensed homes are subject to modified or additional regulations beyond those required of a registered home. Licensed home-based childcare providers may keep up to twelve children (including their own) at any one time provided the ages of the children conform to minimum staff/child ratios. Newly-licensed homes are inspected several times a year, but with favorable inspection histories these inspections become less frequent.
Center-based and church-based child care programs must also meet licensing
standards enforced by TDPRS.
Those standards may be viewed online by clicking
here.
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