Every licensed child care program in the United States is inspected by its state, and the results are public. Most parents never read them. This guide explains what is in a record and how to read one without over-reacting or under-reacting.
Nearly every program has violations
Inspectors check hundreds of standards, from fire drills logged on paper to the temperature of the fridge. In the Texas records on this site, the median daycare center has 4 violations in three years, and only 19% of centers have none. A record with a handful of items is normal. A spotless record on a large center is unusual.
Read the risk level first
Texas rates each standard from Low to High by how much harm a breach could cause. Missing paperwork for an annual fire inspection and a child left alone on a playground are both "violations", and they are not the same thing. Other states use words such as Type A and Type B, or serious and non-serious. Look at the high-risk items and read the inspector's narrative.
Look at what it was about
- Supervision and ratios. A child left unattended, or too many children per teacher. These matter most.
- Background checks. A staff member working before their check cleared.
- Safe sleep, medication and allergies. Procedures that protect the youngest children.
- Records, training hours and postings. Common and usually fixed at once.
- Building and equipment. Broken fencing, uncovered outlets, playground surfacing.
Look at how fast it was fixed
Records show the date each item was corrected, and whether it was corrected while the inspector was still there. A program that fixes things the same day is managing itself. The same standard cited again at the next visit is a pattern.
Look for enforcement
Corrective action, probation, fines or an adverse action mean the state went beyond citing a standard. These are rare and are shown on the profile where the state publishes them.
Then ask about it
Bring the record to your tour. A director who explains what happened and what changed is telling you how the program is run. This site shows the state's own wording and never scores a program as safe or unsafe. The state record linked on every profile is the full file.