Registered vs Licensed Daycare in Texas
When you start looking at child care in Texas, you quickly run into words that sound alike: licensed center, licensed home, registered home, listed home. They are not marketing labels. Each is a separate permit type issued by the state, with its own limits on how many children can be in care and its own inspection schedule.
This guide explains the difference in plain terms, for parents choosing care and for providers deciding which permit fits their program. Every rule below comes from official Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) publications, as of October 2026.
Who regulates daycares in Texas?
Child care in Texas is regulated by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, through its Child Care Regulation division (CCR). CCR issues the permits, sets the minimum standards and carries out inspections.
The minimum standards are written into the Texas Administrative Code:
- Child-care centers: 26 TAC Chapter 746
- Licensed and registered child-care homes: 26 TAC Chapter 747
- Listed family homes: 26 TAC Chapter 742
- School-age and before/after-school programs: a separate permit type, under Chapter 744
General licensing rules that apply to every type, including background checks, are in Chapter 745.
What is the difference between a registered and a licensed daycare in Texas?
The short answer: a licensed operation holds a license, a registered home holds a registration, and they differ in size, setting and how often the state inspects them. A licensed child-care center operates outside the owner's home; a registered child-care home operates in the primary caregiver's own home and cares for fewer children.
Texas has four main permit types. Here they are side by side, from HHSC's own provider-type publication and the minimum standards.
| Type | Permit | Where | Children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed child-care center | License | Not the permit holder's home | 7 or more |
| Licensed child-care home | License | Primary caregiver's home | 7 to 12 |
| Registered child-care home | Registration | Primary caregiver's home | Up to 6, plus 6 school-age after school, max 12 |
| Listed family home | Listing | Primary caregiver's home | Up to 3 unrelated |
The official names are licensed child-care home, registered child-care home and listed family home. You will sometimes see "licensed family home" online; that is not an HHSC permit type.
How many children can a registered home care for in Texas?
A registered child-care home may care for up to six unrelated children ages 13 or younger during school hours, plus six additional school-age children after school hours, and never more than 12 children at any time — including children related to the caregiver.
Infants limit that number further. Under Chapter 747, the more children under 18 months in a registered home, the fewer children it can have in total:
| Children birth–17 months | Registered home: max children in the home |
|---|---|
| 0 | 12 |
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 8 |
| 3 | 7 |
| 4 | 6 |
There is no row for more than four children under 18 months. A registered home also cannot take more children by adding a second caregiver — the limit stays where it is.
How many children can a licensed home care for?
A licensed child-care home cares for seven to 12 children ages 13 or younger, in the primary caregiver's home, and never more than 12. With one caregiver, the limit falls as the number of infants rises — 12 children with no child under 18 months, down to six children when four are under 18 months.
Unlike a registered home, a licensed home may have two caregivers. With two, a separate chart in the rules (§747.1803) applies; the home is still capped at 12 children but may care for more children under 18 months than one caregiver alone. Ask the provider which chart they operate under.
Homes may not reduce the number of caregivers at naptime or at opening and closing.
What are the ratios at a licensed child-care center?
At centers licensed for 13 or more children, Texas sets a maximum number of children per caregiver and a maximum group size for each age (26 TAC §746.1601 and §746.1609):
| Age of the group | Children per caregiver | Maximum group size |
|---|---|---|
| 0–11 months | 4 | 10 |
| 12–17 months | 5 | 13 |
| 18–23 months | 9 | 18 |
| 2 years | 11 | 22 |
| 3 years | 15 | 30 |
| 4 years | 18 | 35 |
| 5 years | 22 | 35 |
| 6–8 years | 26 | 35 |
| 9–13 years | 26 | 35 |
Two details trip people up. First, "toddler" is not one ratio: 12–17 months is 1:5, 18–23 months is 1:9 and two-year-olds are 1:11. Second, the maximum group size is what limits a room with two or more caregivers — two caregivers do not simply double the ratio.
Centers caring for 12 or fewer children follow a different, mixed-age chart, so ask a small center which rules apply to it.
How often are registered and licensed daycares inspected?
A licensed child-care home receives at least one unannounced monitoring inspection by CCR per year. A registered child-care home receives at least one unannounced monitoring inspection every one to two years. A listed family home is not routinely inspected, unless CCR receives a report alleging abuse, neglect or exploitation, an immediate risk of danger, a standards violation, or care of more children than the permit allows.
For child-care centers, HHSC's minimum standards say inspection frequency "will fluctuate depending on the type of permit and the operation's history of compliance."
When an inspection finds a deficiency — any failure to meet a minimum standard, a rule, the law or a term of the permit — it is discussed with the person in charge, the operation is given a set period to correct it, and it may request an administrative review. Each standard carries a weight based on its risk to children: high, medium-high, medium, medium-low or low. The ratio and group-size standards for centers are weighted medium-high; the immunization requirement is weighted high.
Do registered homes and licensed daycares both need background checks?
Yes. Background checks for Texas child-care operations are conducted by HHSC Child Care Regulation, through its Centralized Background Check Unit (CBCU). An operation submits a request through its online Child Care Regulation Account or with Form 2971. Every required check includes a search of the DFPS Central Registry of reported cases of child abuse and neglect.
How do I check a Texas daycare's license or registration?
Use the state's public search, Search Texas Child Care, at https://childcare.hhs.texas.gov/Public/ChildCareSearch. Each operation's details page shows five years of inspection and compliance history. You can view violations by type of activity, as a full list, or by the weight of the standard, with a narrative for each violation and how it was corrected.
Texas also requires day care operations to post their latest inspection form for parents to review, so you can ask to see it on a tour.
Is a licensed daycare better than a registered home?
Not automatically. A licensed center, a licensed home and a registered home all operate under state minimum standards; they suit different families. Some parents want a small home setting with mixed ages; others want a center with a room for each age. What the permit type tells you is the size limits and the inspection schedule. What it does not tell you is how a specific provider runs day to day — that is what the inspection history, a visit and a conversation with the director are for.
Questions worth asking any provider:
- What is your permit type, and what is your permit number?
- How many children are in care at the busiest time of day, and how many are under 18 months?
- May I see your most recent inspection form?
- Who else is in the home or building during care hours?
Why providers care about the permit type
For providers, the permit type sets the shape of the business: how many children you can enroll, how many caregivers you need and how often you can expect an unannounced visit. In both centers and homes, a record the operation must keep is kept for at least three months from the date it was created unless the rules say otherwise, and training records for the current and last full training year. Centers may keep records electronically, alone or with paper, as long as children's records are accessible to caregivers during their shift and in an evacuation, and available to Licensing during operating hours.
Keep the daily records in one place
Whatever your permit type, the daily work is the same: knowing who is enrolled, who is in the building and who has paid. Zukeepr gives Texas providers a roster, check-in and check-out attendance that records who collected each child, and tuition charged automatically each month from the family's saved card, or US bank account where available, with a view of who has paid, in one place — free for up to 20 enrolled families. If you are comparing tools, start with our guide to the best daycare management software.
Running a licensed center, a licensed home or a registered home in McKinney, Prosper or Celina? Set up your daycare on Zukeepr.
