Child Care Licensing
Tools to improve our work

The Department of Family and Protective Services has several tools that we use to help increase our program’s performance to meet the needs of providers, staff, and stakeholders. Some of these tools depend on your input and participation in order to help us measure, provide feedback, and improve our work.

Inspection feedback survey
This web-based survey is a way for you to provide specific comments to us about your most recent licensing inspection. The survey is designed to take only a few minutes to complete. At the end of the inspection when you and the inspector are reviewing the inspection results, the inspector will provide you with information on how to access the survey and provide your thoughts on the inspection. The web address for the survey is printed on the inspection form that the inspector leaves with you.

We regularly review and analyze all the responses we receive to identify areas of improvement in inspections, streamline the inspection processes, and provide feedback to staff across the state.

Field assessments
Another tool we use to evaluate how inspectors are doing is field assessments. These are similar to the classroom observations that you do with your own staff. The goals of field assessments are to improve program performance, develop and maintain open communication with you, identify staff strengths and areas of development, and assist in the development of staff.

Field assessments are conducted by licensing supervisors for each inspector being supervised. The assessments may be completed in person when the supervisor comes to your program and observes the inspector conducting the inspection. The supervisor alone may also visit your program to ask about the most recent inspection, or the supervisor may contact you by telephone after an inspection. Please note that if the supervisor comes alone to your program, she is not there to do an inspection but just to obtain your feedback about the most recent inspection.

Field assessments are both announced and unannounced and give licensing supervisors the opportunity to see in person how an inspector conducts the inspection and interacts with you. The supervisor will spend most of the time observing the inspector, but she may also ask you and your staff questions.

The results of the assessments for each inspector are compiled, evaluated, and used when evaluating job performance and determining the inspector’s developmental and training needs.

Suggestions always welcome
Remember that you do not have to wait for us to share a survey or contact you. If you have suggestions, ideas, or concerns, you are always welcome to contact your licensing inspector or supervisor by e-mail or telephone.

If you are not sure who your inspector is, you may call your local Child Care Licensing office to find out. A list of the offices is available online at www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Care/Local_Child_Care_Licensing_Offices/default.asp

We know that your time is valuable, and we appreciate your willingness to provide feedback. Your input is important and helps us know how we are doing and how we can improve.