Texas Daycare Medication Administration and Chemical Safety Rules

Medication Administration Rules

Giving a child medication in a regulated Texas home daycare follows written medication procedures under 26 TAC Chapter 747. You can't just hand a child their parent's Tylenol — treat authorization, labeling, storage, and administration as a documented process.

Medication authorization. If you dispense medication, follow current Chapter 747 requirements for parent authorization and records. Keep the required documentation with the child's records; do not rely on an informal verbal instruction.

Prescription medications. Handle prescription medication according to its pharmacy label and current HHSC requirements, and keep it identified for the child for whom it was prescribed.

Administration records. When medication is given, record it and make any required parent notification according to current Chapter 747 requirements. Keep the records available for inspection.

Storage: Prescription and over-the-counter medications must be in a locked cabinet or container inaccessible to children. For refrigerated medication, follow current HHSC storage requirements and the product label. A high shelf is not enough.

Licensing analysts check whether medication is stored securely and whether required procedures and records are available. An unlocked medicine cabinet or a bottle of children's ibuprofen sitting on a kitchen counter is a citable deficiency.

Chemical Storage Requirements

Under Chapter 747 minimum standards, all hazardous materials in the home must be stored in locked cabinets or containers that children cannot access. "Hazardous materials" in the daycare context includes:

• Cleaning products (bleach, disinfectants, floor cleaners, oven cleaners)
• Laundry detergent and pods (pods are a particular ingestion risk for toddlers)
• Pesticides and insect repellents
• Automotive fluids (if you have an attached garage)
• Paint, solvents, and adhesives
• Matches and lighters

Use a functioning lock or other barrier that keeps children from accessing hazardous chemicals. A barrier that a child can open or bypass is not sufficient.

Cleaning products you use during operating hours — a spray bottle of sanitizer for table wipe-downs, for instance — must be kept out of children's reach between uses. The standard is "inaccessible to children at all times," meaning you can't leave a bottle on the counter while you answer the door.

Inspectors physically check cabinets during pre-licensing and monitoring visits. They'll open under-sink cabinets, check garage access points, and verify that anything with a hazard warning label is behind a functioning lock.

Water Hazard Safeguards

Texas treats accessible water as a physical safety hazard in child-care homes, and the rules go beyond the obvious swimming pool scenario.

Swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas on the property must be inaccessible to children; use barriers and supervision consistent with current Chapter 747 requirements. A fence is not a substitute for watching children. Many providers find it simpler to permanently fence off the pool from the daycare area rather than managing access protocols.

Standing water is the less obvious risk. Decorative ponds, birdbaths, livestock water troughs, and rain collection barrels must be inaccessible to children. Even a bucket of mop water left unattended in an accessible area is a citable violation.

Bathroom access should be supervised for young children. Keep toilet lids closed or bathrooms gated when not in use, and keep bathtubs empty or inaccessible to children.

The water hazard standard applies to the entire property, not just the rooms children use for activities. If children have access to a backyard that contains any standing water source, it must be secured or eliminated.

Connecting the Safety Requirements

Medication, chemicals, and water hazards share a common enforcement principle: inspectors evaluate whether every potential danger in the home is either eliminated or secured behind a barrier that children cannot defeat. The standard isn't "unlikely to be accessed" — it's "inaccessible."

The Texas Home Daycare Licensing Guide includes a room-by-room home safety audit worksheet designed around the specific hazards Chapter 747 inspectors evaluate, so you can identify and fix compliance gaps before your pre-licensing visit rather than during it.

See more Texas guides →