Texas Home Daycare Inspection Checklist: What HHSC Inspectors Actually Check

For Registered and Licensed homes, the pre-licensing inspection is the final gate between your completed application and your HHSC permit. A licensing analyst walks through your home, measures spaces, checks safety equipment, reviews records, and either clears you or cites deficiencies you need to fix. Knowing exactly what the analyst looks for — down to the square footage calculation and crib spacing — lets you pass on the first visit instead of scheduling a correction follow-up that delays your opening by weeks.

Indoor Space Requirements

The most measurable standard: your home must provide at least 30 square feet of usable indoor play space per child of capacity. "Usable" is the key word — HHSC excludes kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, closets, and areas used primarily for storage from the calculation.

For a Registered home with 6-child capacity, that means 180 square feet of clear, child-accessible play space. For a Licensed home at 12-child capacity, you need 360 square feet.

The analyst measures the actual dimensions of your designated play areas and subtracts excluded zones. If your living room is 250 square feet but 40 square feet is occupied by a bookshelf and an armchair that children cannot use, the usable space is 210 square feet — enough for 7 children but not 8.

Tip: measure your spaces yourself before the inspection. Remove or reposition furniture that reduces usable area. Designating a specific room or combined area as the primary play space and keeping it clear is the simplest way to hit the threshold.

Outdoor Play Area

If you offer outdoor play, the area must be enclosed by a secure fence at least 4 feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates. The analyst checks gate hardware — a gate that stays open unless manually latched does not comply.

The outdoor space must be free of standing water hazards, toxic plants, and accessible pools or hot tubs. If you have a pool, it must be separated from the play area by a fence meeting the same 4-foot standard with self-closing, self-latching gates.

Outdoor play equipment must be age-appropriate and in safe condition. The analyst looks for protruding hardware, broken chains on swings, and inadequate fall zones under climbing structures.

Safe Sleep

Infant safe sleep is one of the most scrutinized areas. For any child under 12 months:

• Cribs must have firm, flat mattresses that fit snugly with no gaps
• No blankets, pillows, bumper pads, stuffed animals, or toys in the crib
• Cribs must be spaced at least 3 feet apart
• Infants must be placed on their backs to sleep

SB 225 (Ellie's Law) also required HHSC to establish specific visual and auditory supervision standards for tummy time — infants placed on their stomachs while awake must be directly monitored by a caregiver who can both see and hear them.

The analyst checks your sleeping area setup, verifies crib compliance, and may ask about your safe-sleep policy documentation. Have your written safe-sleep procedures ready and posted.

Hazardous Materials and Chemical Storage

All cleaning supplies, medications, disinfectants, pesticides, and any other hazardous materials must be stored in locked cabinets or containers that children cannot access. "Out of reach" is not sufficient — the standard requires a locking mechanism.

The analyst opens cabinets and checks under sinks. If your dish soap is under the kitchen sink without a childproof lock, that is a deficiency. Same for bathroom cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, and any medications (including over-the-counter products like ibuprofen or allergy medicine).

Electrical and Physical Safety

• All electrical outlets within children's reach must have childproof covers
• Extension cords must not be used as permanent wiring
• Smoke detectors must be installed and functional (the analyst may test them)
• At least one fire extinguisher must be accessible and current
• A fully stocked first-aid kit must be on-site

The analyst also looks for general physical hazards: unsecured heavy furniture that could tip, accessible stairways without gates, sharp edges on furniture at child height, and exposed heating elements.

Required Records On-Site

The analyst reviews your administrative files during the inspection. Have these organized and accessible:

• Child enrollment records: Completed admission forms for each child, including emergency contacts, authorization for emergency medical care, and documented immunization status (or valid exemption affidavits)
• Staff and caregiver records: Proof of age, high school diploma or equivalent, Form 2760 (Controlling Person Designation)
• Training documentation: HHSC orientation certificate, pediatric CPR and first aid certifications, pre-service training certificates showing the 8-hour minimum before counting in ratios
• Health clearances: TB test results or screenings for all adult household members and staff
• Plan of Operation: Form 2948, covering your daily schedule, meal plans, health policies, discipline/guidance procedures, and emergency preparedness plans for fire, severe weather, and medical emergencies
• Insurance (Registered and Licensed homes): Certificate of liability insurance ($300,000 minimum per occurrence) or the completed parental notification form if operating without coverage

Missing records are cited as deficiencies. The analyst is not going to wait while you dig through a drawer — have a dedicated binder or folder organized by category.

Common Deficiencies to Fix Before the Visit

Based on the Chapter 747 Minimum Standards, the deficiencies that most frequently trip up first-time applicants:

1. Insufficient indoor space — measured area falls short of 30 sq ft per child after exclusions
2. Unlocked chemical storage — cleaning supplies accessible under sinks
3. Gate hardware — outdoor fence gates that do not self-close and self-latch
4. Crib spacing — cribs less than 3 feet apart
5. Missing emergency plan — no written fire evacuation or severe weather plan on file
6. Incomplete training records — orientation certificate present but pre-service hours not documented

After the Inspection

If deficiencies are cited, the analyst specifies a timeframe for correction. You fix the issues and submit documentation (photos, receipts, updated records) within that timeframe.

Once you clear everything, HHSC issues your Initial Permit. For Licensed homes, the initial permit is valid for 12 months before a full two-year license is granted.

For a room-by-room inspection prep checklist that mirrors the Chapter 747 standards point by point, the Texas Home Daycare License Guide includes a printable home safety audit worksheet designed to catch every deficiency before your analyst does.

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