All child care establishments in the State of Texas are regulated by the Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) Child Care Licensing (CCL) Division. Child Care Licensing information can be obtained by visiting their regional office at 1501 Circle Drive, Suite 310, Fort Worth, TX 76119, calling 817-321-8604 or 1-800-582-8286 or visiting their website.

Arlington's Health Services Division routinely conducts food service, environmental health and safety and playground inspections of commercial child care centers, mother's day out and after-school programs. Home based child care providers are required to get a home based business license with the City of Arlington's Planning and Development Services Department. Application can be made by visiting ArlingtonPermits.com and applying for a Home Based Business Registration.

Persons who work in commercial child care centers must have a City of Arlington Child Care Workers Permit, Background and Central Registry check, Mantoux Tuberculosis Test, First Aid and CPR Training.

More information about Arlington's Child Care Center requirements can be found at:

Product Recalls

Child Care Plan Review

Plans and specification for the Child Care Center must be submitted to Planning and Development Services located at City Hall, 101 W. Abram, 2nd floor, telephone 817-459-6502, for review and approval. For more information, contact Aimee Rockhill-Carpenter, RS, Health Services Manager by email or at 817-459-6656.

In addition to the Health Permit, a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is also required. The CO application must be submitted online at www.ArlingtonPermits.com.  For CO information, please call 817-459-6502.

Child Care Worker's Permit

The Child Care Worker's Permit is required for all persons who own a child care center, or whose work involves caring for children. Permits are obtained by completing an approved 2-hour training class on child care safety and sanitation, food safety, and communicable disease prevention. The Child Care Worker's Training and Permit is valid for three years.

Child Care Worker Training may be obtained online or through an approved Child Care Worker Trainer registered with the City of Arlington.

For online training, you may contact either of the following resources.

Once you receive your certification from Responsible Training, you will receive your registration afterwards from the City of Arlington.  Once you receive your certification from iCare Training, you will need to register your certification at ArlingtonPermits.com.

Child Care Center Directors who are licensed by the State of Texas may give this training to their Child Care Center Workers. To do so, they must register with the City of Arlington by submitting a copy of their State Certification and a copy of their course curriculum for approval by the City of Arlington's Health Division. Class must be at least two (2) hours in length. Curriculum must include training in the following area:

  • Classroom Management -Child/Worker ratio requirements, classroom management (discipline & guidance practices) and supervisory requirements.
  • Basic food service if food is prepared and served on-site. State required temperatures and related procedures for cooking, holding, cool down, serving and storage of foods. Utensil washing and sanitizing of utensils and equipment.
  • Basic food service only if snacks are provided from an approved source and served on-site; storage and serving requirements.
  • Effective worker and child hand washing techniques.
  • Proper sanitation of sippy cups, toys, table surfaces, etc.
  • Recognizing common childhood illnesses and understanding of exclusion requirements.
  • Emergency -Policy for handling emergencies, evacuation and relocation plans.
  • Proper steps in diaper changing.
  • Playground -recognizing hazards.
  • Recognizing abuse and neglect.

Child Care Provider's Resources

CDC Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations can be found by clicking this link.

Training that can be used toward your CEUs that are required by the State each year can be found at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

If you would like to register as a trainer for your Child Care Workers, please register at ArlingtonPermits.com.

Report a violation online by clicking here to Contact Ask Arlington.

Click here to view recent health inspection reports for Arlington's childcare establishments.