Report
TheVardellReport
First Steps
Licensed child care center
1208 S Tyler St
Amarillo, TX 79101
Report
← First Steps, free profile
Life by Vardell Presents
The Vardell Report.First Steps
The deeper story, beautifully organized. Available records, historical context, and questions worth asking.
- Provider Category
- Childcare
- Location
- Amarillo, TX
- Record Period
- 2022–2026
- Source Documents
- 9
This report is free. Vardell does not certify, grade or endorse; it shows what the record documents.
The Essentials
Summary
Across 8 licensing visits from February 2022 to July 2026, HHSC cited 3 deficiencies at First Steps; 3 have a recorded correction.
- Visits
- 8
- 2022–2026, inspections, investigations and assessments
- Deficiencies
- 3
- Standards cited by HHSC inspectors
- Corrected
- 3
- Of 3 deficiencies, with a recorded correction date
- Investigations
- 0
- Licensing investigations, whatever prompted them
Deficiencies by Year
- Deficiencies
- Of which, high risk
* Partial year, through October 31, 2026.
| Year | Visits | Deficiencies | Of which, high risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What the Record Shows
- 3 of 3 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.
- No investigation appears in this window. HHSC publishes what an investigation cited, not what the report to it alleged.
- The latest inspection, July 14, 2026, recorded no deficiencies.
Report at a Glance
- Facility
- First Steps
- Address
- 1208 S Tyler St, Amarillo, TX 79101
- Operation Number
- TX-63688
- License Type
- Licensed child care center
- Licensed Capacity
- 100 children
- Permit
- Full Permit
- Ages Served
- pre-kindergarten, school age
- Hours
- Tue–Thu, 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
- Conditions on Permit
- Yes
- Record Window
- November 1, 2021 to October 31, 2026
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.
- 2026
Inspection
No deficiencies
Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905037318
- 2025
Inspection
No deficiencies
Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905037317
- 2024
Inspection
2 deficiencies
- 746.615(a)Exemptions for Immunization Requirements Must Meet Criteria Specified by DSHSMedium riskCorrected Oct 22, 2024
- 746.3819Food Allergy Emergency Plan Signed by Parents and Health Care ProfessionalMedium-high riskCorrected Nov 5, 2024
Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905037316
- 2023
Inspection
No deficiencies
Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905037315
- 2023
Inspection
No deficiencies
Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905037314
- 2023
Inspection
1 deficiency
- 746.5625(a)Electronic Child Safety Alarm - is equipped in each vehicleHigh riskCorrected Nov 29, 2023
Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905037313
- 2022
Inspection
No deficiencies
Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905037312
- 2022
Inspection
No deficiencies
Source: Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x), 905037311
Texas gives every licensing standard one of five risk levels, from low to high, by how likely a deficiency is to harm a child.
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 8 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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 63688
Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905037311
Visit Feb 23, 2022 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905037312
Visit Dec 1, 2022 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905037313
Visit Nov 8, 2023 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905037314
Visit Dec 5, 2023 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905037315
Visit Dec 28, 2023 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905037316
Visit Oct 22, 2024 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905037317
Visit Sep 16, 2025 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Inspection, investigation or assessment, with the deficiencies cited (data.texas.gov: m5q4-3y3d and tqgd-mf4x)View Dataset ↗
Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation · 905037318
Visit Jul 14, 2026 · Published Oct 31, 2026 · Retrieved Nov 1, 2026
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.