Canary
    Canary Quarterly Report · Q3 2026

    DFW Daycare
    Safety Report

    Texas inspectors cited 5,320 violations across 2,999 child care providers in the four core DFW counties over the past year. Tarrant County averaged 2.1 per provider, the highest. Dallas County averaged 1.47.

    2,999

    Providers analyzed

    5,320

    Violations (12 mo)

    3,607

    High or medium high risk

    52%

    Clean past year

    01

    County overview

    Violations per provider over the past 12 months.

    Collin

    1.6

    violations per provider

    Providers
    644
    Violations
    1,030
    High risk
    667
    Serious (2 yr)
    258
    Clean (12 mo)
    52%

    Dallas

    Lowest

    1.47

    violations per provider

    Providers
    980
    Violations
    1,440
    High risk
    1,007
    Serious (2 yr)
    318
    Clean (12 mo)
    54%

    Tarrant

    Highest

    2.1

    violations per provider

    Providers
    900
    Violations
    1,893
    High risk
    1,309
    Serious (2 yr)
    348
    Clean (12 mo)
    49%

    Denton

    2.01

    violations per provider

    Providers
    475
    Violations
    957
    High risk
    624
    Serious (2 yr)
    168
    Clean (12 mo)
    53%
    02

    City by city

    Cities with at least 15 providers, from fewest to most violations per provider.

    Under 1.2 1.2 to 2 2 or more
    • 1Garland
      0.55
    • 2Southlake
      0.62
    • 3Prosper
      0.78
    • 4Richardson
      1.17
    • 5Carrollton
      1.35
    • 6Mansfield
      1.35
    • 7Plano
      1.36
    • 8Grapevine
      1.56
    • 9Irving
      1.61
    • 10Keller
      1.67
    • 11Dallas
      1.68
    • 12Flower Mound
      1.76
    • 13Fort Worth
      1.9
    • 14Lewisville
      1.92
    • 15Mckinney
      2.02
    • 16Denton
      2.04
    • 17Allen
      2.25
    • 18Frisco
      2.37
    • 19Arlington
      2.54
    • 20Little Elm
      3.09
    03

    Neighborhood spotlights

    Licensed centers with no cited violations in the past year and no serious incidents in the past two.

    Fort Worth · 76109

    Tanglewood

    8 of 16 licensed centers have a clean recent record. Standouts:

    Fort Worth · 76123, 76132

    Tavolo Park

    6 of 15 licensed centers have a clean recent record. Standouts:

    McKinney · 75070

    Craig Ranch

    10 of 28 licensed centers have a clean recent record. Standouts:

    Dallas · 75238, 75243

    Lake Highlands

    15 of 29 licensed centers have a clean recent record. Standouts:

    Methodology

    Source: Texas Health and Human Services Child Care Regulation public data, pulled 2026-09-30. Includes active licensed centers, licensed child care homes, and registered child care homes. Violations are counted in the 12 months before the pull date, dated by the state's correction date.

    "Serious incidents" are citations Canary classifies as harm to a child, escape or elopement, neglect, or unsafe conditions within the past two years. Neighborhoods are approximated by ZIP code and only shown where 15 or more licensed centers exist.

    Reporters: feel free to cite and link this page. Contact us for the underlying data.