LIFE BYVardellChildcare
Report

TheVardellReport

First Steps Learning Center

Licensed child care center

4519 Paredes Line Rd
Brownsville, TX 78526

Report Date
Nov 1, 2026
Data Through
Oct 31, 2026
Report ID
VR-TX-1730010-2611
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The Vardell Report.First Steps Learning Center

The deeper story, beautifully organized. Available records, historical context, and questions worth asking.

Provider Category
Childcare
Location
Brownsville, TX
Record Period
2021–2026
Source Documents
19
Read the report

This report is free. Vardell does not certify, grade or endorse; it shows what the record documents.

01

The Essentials

Summary

Across 18 licensing visits from December 2021 to May 2026, HHSC cited 8 deficiencies at First Steps Learning Center; 8 have a recorded correction.

Visits
18
2021–2026, inspections, investigations and assessments
Deficiencies
8
Standards cited by HHSC inspectors
Corrected
8
Of 8 deficiencies, with a recorded correction date
Investigations
2
Licensing investigations, whatever prompted them

Deficiencies by Year

  • Deficiencies
  • Of which, high risk
2021: 0 deficiencies across 1 visit020211 visit2022: 3 deficiencies across 6 visits320226 visits2023: 0 deficiencies across 1 visit020231 visit2024: 0 deficiencies across 1 visit020241 visit2025: 5 deficiencies across 5 visits; of which, high risk: 4520255 visits2026: 0 deficiencies across 4 visits02026*4 visits2021: 0 deficiencies across 1 visit020211 visit2022: 3 deficiencies across 6 visits320226 visits2023: 0 deficiencies across 1 visit020231 visit2024: 0 deficiencies across 1 visit020241 visit2025: 5 deficiencies across 5 visits; of which, high risk: 4520255 visits2026: 0 deficiencies across 4 visits02026*4 visits

* Partial year, through October 31, 2026.

Deficiencies by year
YearVisitsDeficienciesOf which, high risk
2021100
2022630
2023100
2024100
2025554
2026400

What the Record Shows

  • 8 of 8 deficiencies have a recorded correction date.
  • HHSC’s files name no enforcement action in this window. They say whether a program is under corrective or adverse action, not what the action was.
  • 2 visits in this window included an investigation. HHSC publishes what an investigation cited, not what the report to it alleged.
  • The latest inspection, May 13, 2026, recorded no deficiencies.
02

Chronology

Inspection History

Every visit in the record window, newest first. A deficiency is a licensing standard Texas inspectors found was not met. HHSC publishes what an investigation cited, not what the report to it alleged.

  1. 2026

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149095

  2. 2026

    Investigation

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905237851

  3. 2026

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149094

  4. 2026

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149093

  5. 2025

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149092

  6. 2025

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149091

  7. 2025

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149090

  8. 2025

    Investigation

    5 deficiencies

    • 745.641AP Background check results - Must receive notification prior to allowing subject to be present at your operationHigh riskCorrected Sep 18, 2025
    • 746.1201(2)Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers -Relate to ChildrenHigh riskCorrected Sep 18, 2025
    • 746.2207(a)Screen Time Activities - Not Used for Under TwoMedium riskCorrected Sep 18, 2025
    • 746.2805(5)Prohibited Punishments - Humiliating, Rejecting, YellingHigh riskCorrected Sep 18, 2025
    • 746.2805(9)Prohibited Punishments - Withholding Active PlayHigh riskCorrected Sep 18, 2025

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905237850

  9. 2025

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149089

  10. 2024

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149088

  11. 2023

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149087

  12. 2022

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149086

  13. 2022

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149085

  14. 2022

    Inspection

    3 deficiencies

    • 746.3805(c)(4)Medication Records - Name of Employee Who AdministeredMedium-high riskCorrected May 17, 2022
    • 746.5307(b)Fire Extinguishers ServicedMedium-high riskCorrected May 20, 2022
    • 746.5603(c)Types of Vehicles Used to Transport Children - Be Maintained SafelyMedium-high riskCorrected May 20, 2022

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149084

  15. 2022

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149083

  16. 2022

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149082

  17. 2022

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149081

  18. 2021

    Inspection

    No deficiencies

    Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905149080

Texas gives every licensing standard one of five risk levels, from low to high, by how likely a deficiency is to harm a child.

03

Context

Patterns Worth Examining

A repeated citation can merit attention, but context and corrective action must be reviewed before drawing a conclusion.

No citation repeats across the 18 visits in this window, and no deficiency is waiting on a verified correction. That is what the record shows; it is not a judgment of care. The questions that follow still apply.

    04

    For Your Next Visit

    Questions to Ask on Your Visit

    Bring these to the tour. Each one comes from something in the record; the reason is under the question.

    1. 01

      What is the ratio in the room my child would join, and how is every child accounted for at nap time, pickup and on the playground?

      Ratios change through the day, so they are worth counting yourself on a visit.

    2. 02

      Has the center ever been under corrective or adverse action, and what changed afterward?

      HHSC’s files name no enforcement action in this window. They say whether a program is under corrective or adverse action, not what the action was.

    05

    The Evidence

    Sources and Coverage

    Program details, licensing visits and the deficiencies cited at each are published by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's Child Care Regulation in its daily files on data.texas.gov.

    • Child Care Licensing operations (data.texas.gov)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 1730010

      Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149080

      Visit Dec 22, 2021 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149081

      Visit Jan 10, 2022 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149082

      Visit Feb 22, 2022 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149083

      Visit Mar 25, 2022 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149084

      Visit May 17, 2022 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149085

      Visit May 24, 2022 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149086

      Visit Dec 10, 2022 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149087

      Visit May 16, 2023 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149088

      Visit May 14, 2024 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149089

      Visit Apr 10, 2025 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905237850

      Visit Aug 20, 2025 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149090

      Visit Aug 21, 2025 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149091

      Visit Sep 16, 2025 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149092

      Visit Oct 3, 2025 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149093

      Visit Feb 20, 2026 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149094

      Visit Apr 9, 2026 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905237851

      Visit May 6, 2026 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗
    • Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)

      Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905149095

      Visit May 13, 2026 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026

      View Dataset ↗

    Coverage

    Record windowNovember 1, 2021 – October 31, 2026

    • This record is HHSC's list of operations as of October 2026, with the inspections, investigations and assessments in HHSC's files, which run from November 2021.
    • Listed family homes (one caregiver with up to three unrelated children, listed with HHSC but not inspected on a schedule) are not in this record.
    • HHSC's narrative for each deficiency is left out because it can name children, parents and staff; the rule cited, its risk level and the correction dates are kept.

    What This Report Cannot Tell You

    Inspector narratives
    Published by HHSC but left out of this record because they can name people.
    Enforcement actions
    HHSC's files say whether an operation is under corrective or adverse action, not what the action was.
    Complaints not investigated
    Reports HHSC screened out without an investigation are not published.
    Staff qualifications and turnover
    Not part of the published licensing record.

    Historical coverage varies by agency and location. Missing records do not mean that no complaint or violation occurred.

    Data architecture: Cierto supplies the source-backed machine-readable bundle. Life by Vardell independently creates the narrative, design, and consumer report.