Texas is home to more than 13,000 daycare listings in this directory, spread across 809 cities and 239 of the state's 254 counties. That spread says a lot about how child care works here. It is a local service, shaped by commuting patterns, school calendars and the number of working parents in each community. A family in Spring or Katy and a family in Amarillo follow the same state rules, yet their choices look very different. This page explains who regulates Texas daycare, what each license type means, and how to check a provider before you pay a deposit.

Who Regulates Daycare in Texas: HHSC Child Care Regulation

Child care licensing in Texas belongs to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), through its Child Care Regulation division. Before 2017 the work sat with the Department of Family and Protective Services. The legal foundation is Chapter 42 of the Texas Human Resources Code. The detailed rules appear in Title 26 of the Texas Administrative Code, where Chapter 746 covers child-care centers and Chapter 747 covers child-care homes.

These minimum standards set out caregiver-to-child ratios, group sizes, staff training hours, background checks, safe sleep practices, discipline limits, building safety and emergency planning. For babies under 12 months, a center may assign no more than four infants to each caregiver. Ratios loosen as children get older, so ask any center to show you the chart for your child's age group.

HHSC inspectors visit licensed operations without advance notice. Their findings, including cited deficiencies, become part of a public record. A citation is not automatically a warning sign. A missing form is a very different problem from an unsafe playground, so read what was actually cited and whether the operation corrected it.

Not every program needs a state license. Texas law exempts certain arrangements, such as some programs run by public schools and some short-duration or parent-on-site programs. Church-affiliated and school-affiliated names in our listings, such as St. Barnabas United Methodist Church Early Education Center in Arlington or Bent Tree Episcopal School in Dallas, can be regulated or exempt depending on how they operate. Ask the director directly, then confirm with the state.

Four Kinds of Texas Daycare: Centers, Licensed Homes, Registered Homes and Listed Homes

The state sorts providers by size and setting. The label matters because it decides how much oversight a provider receives.

Names in our database range from home-style operations such as Alice's Daycare in Brownsville to campus-style schools such as Anderson School for the Gifted and Talented in Fort Worth. The name alone will not tell you the license type. The state's records will, and looking them up takes about five minutes.

Daycare Across Texas Regions: Houston, North Texas, the Valley and the Plains

Houston and its suburbs dominate the supply. Harris County alone accounts for 2,296 listings, covering Houston plus suburbs such as Spring, Katy and Humble. Examples include All Starz Academy on Kuykendahl Road in Spring, Angels Academy Childcare Center on Fry Road in Katy, Abbey Academy Daycare on Rankin Road in Humble and A + Preparatory School on South Post Oak Road in Houston. Commutes in this region can be long, so closing time and late-pickup fees matter as much as tuition.

In North Texas, Dallas County and Tarrant County together hold nearly 2,000 listings. Many options are church-hosted or school-linked, including 6th Street Childrens Academy in Irving and the early education center at St. Barnabas in Arlington. Farther north, Collin County adds Alpha Montessori House on Hedgcoxe Road in Plano and Alphabest at McSpedden Elementary in Frisco. The second name points to an on-campus program, a common format in suburban school districts.

Central Texas centers on Austin and Round Rock. Listings there include Abcs And 123S Infant And Child Care Center Lp on East Highway 290 in Austin and Ants To Elephants Daycare in Round Rock. Farther south, San Antonio's Brighton Center on Higgins Road shows the kind of independent operator that fills out Bexar County.

Along the border, bilingual English and Spanish care is common. Hidalgo County has 537 listings, including TGS Daycare And Learning Center on North Doolittle Road in Edinburg. Brownsville and Laredo add smaller neighborhood providers such as A Child's Imagination on Clark Boulevard.

In West Texas and the Panhandle, the pattern shifts. El Paso has A Mothers Blessing on Wedgewood Drive. Lubbock has A New World Christian L C #2 on Slide Road, and Amarillo has Center City Child Care on South Polk Street. In thinly populated counties, expect fewer providers, longer drives and more reliance on home-based care.

Checking a Texas Daycare Before You Enroll

Start with the HHSC public tool called Search Texas Child Care. Enter the provider's name or operation number and you can see the license type, approved capacity and inspection history. Do this before you tour, since it can save you a trip.

Then visit in person, ideally mid-morning when classrooms are busy. Watch how caregivers speak to children. Count the children in each room and compare that with the ratio for their ages. Ask to see the posted license or registration, the latest inspection report, and the written policies on sick children, discipline and emergencies. Confirm that infants sleep alone on their backs in cribs, the standard safe-sleep practice. Ask how pickup is authorized, what happens at closing time, and how staff report incidents to parents. A good director answers these questions without hesitation.

Paying for Texas Daycare: Subsidies, Texas Rising Star and Public Pre-K

Tuition varies widely by city, child age and program type, and infant care is almost always the most expensive. Families with low or moderate incomes may qualify for help through the Texas Workforce Commission's Child Care Services program. Local workforce development boards, which operate under the Workforce Solutions name, take the applications. Parents generally must be working, in school or in job training. Funding limits mean waiting lists are common in some areas, so apply early and ask which nearby providers accept subsidy.

Providers that accept subsidy can join Texas Rising Star, the state's voluntary quality rating system run by the Commission. Its star levels recognize practices that go beyond the minimum standards. For four-year-olds, many school districts offer public pre-kindergarten to eligible children, such as those from low-income families, homeless families, military families, foster care or families still learning English. Some districts partner with community daycares to deliver it.

Licensed daycare and childcare programs in Texas are regulated by the state's child care licensing division, which establishes standards for health, safety, staff qualifications, and caregiver-to-child ratios to protect enrolled children.

Daycare locations are available in 809 cities across Texas. They are spread across 239 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Houston, San Antonio, Austin, reflecting population centers where working families have the greatest demand for licensed childcare options.

Families in Texas searching for licensed childcare should verify that any facility is currently licensed by the state, check inspection history, and inquire about available subsidy programs that may reduce out-of-pocket childcare costs.

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Families in Texas can verify the licensing status of any childcare provider through the state's child care licensing agency online database. Income-eligible families may qualify for childcare subsidies through the Child Care and Development Fund program administered at the state level.

Browse Daycare by county across Texas to find the nearest location.

Using Texas Daycare Listings by County and City

A statewide list is too broad to be useful, so start local. Pick the county where you live or work, then narrow to a city. Parents in San Antonio can begin with the Bexar County page. Parents around Austin can use the Travis County page, which also helps when a suburb sits on a county line.

Timing matters. Many centers fill their classrooms for the fall by late spring, and infant rooms often have waiting lists because the infant ratio is the tightest. If you are expecting a child, start calling during pregnancy. Summer brings a second wave of demand, since school-age programs expand and families look for camps and extended hours.

Weather is a real Texas factor. Providers on the Gulf Coast, including those in Houston, Katy and Corpus Christi, plan for hurricane season, which runs from June through November. State standards expect every operation to keep emergency plans. Ask how a provider would reach you, and where the children would go, if a storm, flood or hard freeze forced an evacuation or closure.

Directory entries come from public records, so details can go stale. Phone numbers, hours and openings change. Call before you drive across town. For example, A + Preparatory School in Houston lists 713-413-1281, and Alice's Daycare in Brownsville lists 956-541-7678. Then confirm the license status in the state database rather than relying on a listing alone.

Once you choose a provider, keep a simple file. Save the operation number, the enrollment contract, the tuition policy and a copy of your child's immunization record. Recheck the provider's inspection history once a year, because it can change.

The Health and Human Services Commission, through its Child Care Regulation division, licenses and monitors child-care operations in Texas under Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code. To check a specific provider, use the state's Search Texas Child Care tool. You can search by name, city or operation number and view the license type, approved capacity and inspection history, including any cited deficiencies. If a provider will not give you its operation number, treat that as a warning. Confirm that the address on the license matches where your child would actually be cared for.

It depends on the license type. A licensed child-care home may care for up to 12 children, including the caregiver's own. A registered child-care home may care for up to six children under age 14, plus up to six more school-age children outside school hours. A listed family home is limited to three unrelated children and receives much less oversight. Always ask which category a home falls under, and verify it in the state's database, because the category affects both inspections and the standards the provider must meet every day.

Under the state's minimum standards for centers, one caregiver may supervise no more than four infants under 12 months at a time. Maximum group sizes also apply, so adding caregivers does not allow a room to grow without limit. Ratios loosen as children age, which is why a toddler room looks different from a four-year-old classroom. Ask the director for the ratio chart used for your child's age group, and count heads during your tour. If a room looks over ratio, ask about it politely. Nap time, breaks and mixed-age groupings can change the arithmetic, so ask how staffing is handled across the day.

Possibly. The Texas Workforce Commission funds the Child Care Services program, and your local Workforce Solutions office or workforce development board takes applications. Eligibility generally depends on household income and family size, and parents typically must be working, attending school or in job training. Funding varies by area, so waiting lists are common. Ask the board for a list of providers that accept subsidy, and consider those in the Texas Rising Star quality program. Separately, public school districts offer pre-K to eligible four-year-olds, which can reduce the number of hours you pay for at a private provider.

Expect to complete an enrollment form listing emergency contacts, your child's pediatrician, allergies and the people authorized to pick up your child. Texas providers must keep immunization records on file, so ask your doctor's office for a current vaccination record before your first day. Some providers also request a recent physical, a birth certificate, and a deposit or registration fee. Before you sign, ask for the tuition schedule, late-pickup charges, holiday closures and withdrawal terms in writing. Keeping your own copy of every form makes it easier to resolve disagreements later.

For concerns about a licensed or registered operation, such as too many children in a room, unsafe conditions or violations of the minimum standards, contact HHSC Child Care Regulation, which investigates complaints. If you suspect a child has been abused or neglected, call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, which operates around the clock. In an emergency, or if a child is in immediate danger, call 911 first. Write down dates, names and what you saw before you call, since specific details help investigators act quickly.