An official State of Texas website.
What is a monitoring inspection?
A monitoring inspection is a routine, on-site visit that a Child Care Licensing inspector conducts at a child care operation. The inspection evaluates the operation’s compliance with minimum standards, rule and law. The inspector can cite a deficiency if the operation is in violation of minimum standards, rule or law.
What is a report?
A report is information Child Care Licensing receives from the public, including from a parent, regarding a possible violation of minimum standards, rule or law. CCL investigates the possible violations and, if applicable, cites a deficiency of minimum standards, rule or law.
What is a self-report?
A self-report is an account from an operation of a serious incident that happened at the operation. All operations, except listed family homes, are required to report certain types of serious incidents to Child Care Licensing. CCL can investigate an operation’s self-report and, if applicable, cite a deficiency of minimum standards, rule or law. A serious incident includes, but is not limited to, a serious illness or injury to a child, a missing child or a disaster that requires the operation to close.
What is an assessment?
An assessment is when Child Care Licensing cites an operation for a deficiency of minimum standards, rule or law by reviewing information, paperwork or other materials instead of conducting an on-site inspection.
How frequently does Child Care Licensing conduct inspections?
CCL conducts unannounced inspections at licensed operations at least once per year. CCL conducts unannounced inspections at registered child care homes at least once every two years. Inspections might be more frequent, based on an operation's ability to comply with minimum standards, rule and law.
CCL only conducts inspections at listed family homes as part of an investigation.
What is a standard weight?
Each minimum standard is assigned a weight of high, medium high, medium, medium low, and low, based on the risk a violation of the minimum standard presents to children. A requirement weighted as high presents a greater risk to children if violated than a requirement weighted as low.
What is a deficiency?
A deficiency, also referred to as a violation, is any failure to comply with a Child Care Licensing minimum standard, rule or law. A deficiency is posted to the operation’s online record only after the operation has had the opportunity to dispute it.
How can I find out if an operation has deficiencies?
Information regarding the minimum standard requirements and deficiencies cited for each operation can be found at TxChildCareSearch.org. Deficiencies can be cited for a variety of reasons and you can view a short narrative with the details of each deficiency. You should carefully evaluate the deficiencies for the operation you’re interested in. If you have concerns or questions about a deficiency, share these with the director, administrator or child care provider. You can also review information on the website regarding how the operation corrected each deficiency. After reviewing this information, address any concerns with the director, administrator or child care provider about their plans to prevent the deficiency from repeating.
Here are a few things to consider when evaluating an operation’s deficiencies and plans to correct those deficiencies:
- Which deficiency was cited and what weight was assigned to the deficiency? A weight listed as high presents a greater risk to children than a weight listed as low.
- Have deficiencies been repeated in the last two years?
- How long did it take the operation to come into compliance?
- How often is the operation inspected? Monitoring frequencies will change, depending on the type of permit and an operation’s ability to comply with the minimum standards, rule and law.
What is an administrative penalty?
An administrative penalty is a fine for a deficiency of a minimum standard, rule or law with a high weight, such as a background check requirement.
What is a corrective action?
Child Care Licensing imposes corrective action when an operation has a pattern of deficiencies or one single, serious deficiency that endangers the health and safety of children. Corrective action includes steps to help an operation meet minimum standards, rule and law. CCL inspects an operation more frequently during corrective action.
What is an adverse action?
Adverse action is an action Child Care Licensing takes to address deficiencies that endangers the health or safety of children. Adverse actions include closing an operation, or adding permanent restrictions or conditions to a permit. CCL takes adverse action when a corrective action is not able to reduce the risk at the operation.
An operation has the right to dispute the adverse action through a due process hearing. If an administrative law judge upholds CCL’s decision to take the adverse action, the operation must notify each parent, guardian or managing conservator of the children in care of the operation.