How Parents Can Verify Daycare Licensing in Texas

Is It Important That My Child’s Daycare Center Is Licensed with the State?

Yes. In Texas, licensed daycare centers must register with the state and are required to comply with state childcare laws, also known as the minimum standards. The standards cover critical regulations to protect children and keep them safe from harm, including:

Caregiver training and supervision

Child-to-caregiver ratios in classrooms

Facility safety, including classroom furniture requirements

Incident reporting procedures

Staff hiring and background check requirements

A licensed daycare center must follow the minimum standards to keep its license and remain in good standing with the state. Check out this article to learn more about the top five minimum standards that our team of daycare injury lawyers recommends every parent know.

In addition to operating in compliance with the minimum standards, licensed daycare centers are regularly inspected by state regulators.

What Doesn’t Happen When a Daycare Center Isn’t Licensed in Texas?

When a daycare center isn’t licensed, there is no state oversight of the facility—meaning, the daycare center does not have to comply with any of the safety regulations outlined in the minimum standards, even when it comes to hiring qualified caregivers who have been properly screened.

Additionally, these centers are not subject to regular inspections, and any issues with them are not recorded in the state’s child care database. So, it is challenging to confirm if the center is safe for your child, and if something happens to your child at an unlicensed center, it is difficult to hold the center and its caregivers accountable for negligence.

Can In-Home Daycare Centers Be Licensed in Texas?

Yes, even in-home daycare centers can register with the state to be licensed. In addition to the minimum standards, in-home operations have additional requirements to follow. You can learn more about the specific licensing regulations for these centers on the Texas Health and Human Services website here.

Why Should I Verify a Daycare Center is Licensed?

Verifying your child’s daycare provider is licensed will give you greater peace of mind in knowing that the center follows requirements to operate safely.

While checking if a center is licensed in the state database, you can also see the center’s safety records. This lets you know if any incidents at the center resulted in a child being injured. It also shows if state inspectors or investigators cited the center for any minimum standards deficiencies.

Even licensed daycare centers have safety lapses. Last year alone, the state conducted 4,388 investigations into abuse and neglect incidents involving children ages four and younger at Texas daycare centers, per the March 2025 Child Injuries and Fatalities Report. That’s why both steps—ensuring the center is licensed and checking a center’s inspection reporters—are important.

Watch this video to learn the exact steps to take when searching for a daycare center in the licensing database and to understand all the information available in each profile, including staff turnover rates and safety deficiencies.

What Happens If My Child’s Daycare Center Doesn’t Appear on the State’s Website?

If you can’t find the daycare provider on the state’s child care database, don’t disregard it. That could mean the facility:

Isn’t licensed or registered with the state
Operates under a different name or address
Has had its license revoked due to multiple safety violations

You can ask the daycare director to show you a copy of its current license or registration certificate. They’re legally required to post it somewhere visible in the facility. If they can’t or won’t produce it, that’s a red flag.

More Daycare Safety Resources for Parents

If you have questions about a daycare center’s license, or if your child was injured at a facility and you’re unsure about its license status with the state, reach out to our experienced and compassionate team of daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm by calling us at 214-699-4409, emailing us at intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or filling out our online form for a free case evaluation.

We’re here to help parents across Texas get answers, make sure children are being protected, and hold negligent daycare centers accountable.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Texas Daycare Abuse Attorney Today

If you or someone you know has a child who was harmed by their daycare teacher, contact our firm. We know how difficult getting through this can be. Our experienced team wants to help guide you – as we have helped guide many parents and families within Midland, Houston, Dallas, and the surrounding areas.

You can give us a call at (214) 699-4409 or email us at intake@buttonlawfirm.com. You can also reach out to us by filling out the form below or by starting a chat with a member of our team.

How Can I Check If a Daycare Center Is Licensed?