Provider Monitoring and Inspections

Child Care Licensing Consultants monitor licensed child care agencies for compliance with licensure rules and statutes and to provide technical assistance to ensure the health and safety of children in licensed child care agencies.

The Department is transitioning to a new observation tool for monitoring compliance with licensing rules and observing quality of care to promote child care environments that are safe, healthy, and educationally rich.

New Observation Tools:

Health and Safety Practices Classroom Observation Tool (Sample)

Teacher/Child Interactions Classroom Observation Tool (Sample)

All TDHS licensed child care agencies with a Continuous License are required to receive a minimum of four (4) Monitoring visits per year utilizing the Observation Tool. Three (3) visits will be announced and one (1) will be unannounced in random order based on scheduling by the Child and Adult Care Licensing Consultant (CACLC). Programs that are closed during the summer will have three (3) quarterly visits and one (1) quarterly visit prior to or just after the three (3) month closure to support the four (4) visit requirement.

 Any agency on a Safety Plan will receive weekly unannounced agency visits until the Safety Plan is lifted.  (It is at the discretion of the Program Supervisor to alter this schedule)

An agency may receive additional visits based on complaints, legal enforcement actions and follow-up visits related to violations.

During each unannounced agency visit, Licensing Consultants must, at a minimum, review all of the major high risk areas eleven (11) critical items and be observant for safety hazards. The high risk areas  critical items include:

1. Administration of Medication
2. Emergency preparedness and response planning
3. Prevention/response to food allergies
4. Use of Safe Sleep Practices
5. Precautions in transporting children
6. Prevention and control of infectious diseases (including Immunization)
7. Building and physical premises safety
8. Prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma
9. First-aid and CPR
10. Supervision
11. Background Checks

If violations are observed during any agency visit, the Licensing Consultant will assist the child care agency staff in completing a Plan of Corrective Action.

Any major high risk violations that are not corrected during the visit require a follow-up visit within five (5) days.

Inspection Forms for Other Regulated Programs

Child care agencies regulated by the Department of Education that participate in the Child Care Certificate Program are monitored for compliance with requirements using the following inspection tools:

Sample Verification of Program Review Form

Sample Summary of Visit Form

Sample School-administered Child Care Self-Assessment Form

Under statute unlicensed Boys & Girls Clubs may participate in the Child Care Certificate Program.  These participating programs are monitored for compliance with Child Care and Development Block Grant requirements by the Department of Human Services using the following checklist:

Sample Exempt Agency Health and Safety Checklist

Child care agencies that participate in the Child Care Certificate Program must receive a minimum of one (1) announced evaluation visit annually.  Additional announced or unannounced visits may be conducted to provide technical assistance or to investigate complaints.

To find Child Care Provider Monitoring and Inspections for licensed agencies, you can use our Find Child Care Tools with the related link below.