First Step Learning Center
Licensed Center in Hearne, Texas. License #826929, issued October 1, 2003.
- Address
- 701 Norwood Ln, Hearne, TX 77859
- Phone
- (979) 280-5588
- Licensed capacity
- 120 children
- Licensed for
- Infant, Toddler, Pre-Kindergarten, School
- Hours
- 07:00 AM-05:30 PM
- Days
- Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
- Child care subsidies
- Accepted
Programs listed with the state: School Age Care, Meals Provided, After School Care, Snacks Provided.
Openings
This program has not told us about its openings. We only publish what a program confirms itself, so there is nothing here yet. Ring them to ask.
Texas Rising Star
Texas Rising Star 4-star of a possible 4
A quality rating the state awards after an on-site assessment. Four stars is the highest.
In effect since February 4, 2026. From the state's provider report of October 27, 2026.
Where this is
A map of this address loads when you ask for it. Nothing is requested from the map host until then, so opening this page does not tell anyone which program you were reading about.
The pin is where the US Census geocoder placed this address. About one in eight is interpolated along a street rather than resolved to a building, so treat it as the right block rather than the right doorway. How we source this.
What inspectors checked
Texas HHSC records how many individual standards it evaluated in each area of the rules, and how many it found violated. Across 22 areas it checked 4,877 standards at First Step Learning Center between February 2, 2022 and August 18, 2026 and recorded 23 violations. Those correspond to the citations listed above that were recorded from 2021 onward; anything older than that is in the citation list but not in these counts.
The 22 areas, one by one
| Area of the rules | Visits | Standards checked | Violated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope, administration, and communication | 4 | 481 | 0 |
| Record keeping | 3 | 326 | 0 |
| Personnel | 4 | 596 | 3 |
| Ratios and group sizes | 4 | 216 | 0 |
| Activities | 4 | 140 | 0 |
| Infants | 4 | 357 | 0 |
| Toddlers | 4 | 88 | 0 |
| Pre-kindergarten | 4 | 72 | 0 |
| School-age | 4 | 80 | 0 |
| Discipline | 4 | 80 | 0 |
| Naptime | 4 | 48 | 0 |
| Field trips | 4 | 44 | 0 |
| Get well care | 4 | 108 | 0 |
| Nighttime care | 4 | 52 | 0 |
| Nutrition and food care | 4 | 178 | 0 |
| Health practices | 4 | 450 | 1 |
| Safety practices | 4 | 286 | 1 |
| Physical facilities | 4 | 299 | 0 |
| Outdoor safety | 4 | 384 | 0 |
| Pools | 4 | 108 | 0 |
| Fire safety | 4 | 271 | 0 |
| Transportation | 4 | 166 | 0 |
The table adds up to 4,830 of those standards. The remaining 47, including 18 of the violations, were recorded under the state's own catch-all heading, “Individual Standards Evaluated”, which names no area. They are reported here rather than folded into an area above, because the state did not say which area they belong to and we are not going to decide for it.
A high number of standards checked is not a compliment and a low one is not a criticism: how many apply depends on a program's size, its ages served and what the inspector was there to look at. We publish the two counts the state published and do not turn them into a score. This data begins in 2021, which is later than the inspection history above it.
Ask about an opening
This goes to First Step Learning Center and nobody else. They reply to you directly: we do not sit in the middle of it, and we never pass your details on or sell them.
Tell me about new inspections
One short message each time Texas HHSC records an inspection here, saying that it happened and linking to the record. We do not tell you what the inspector found: a finding without whether it was corrected is misleading, and that pair belongs on the page rather than split across an email.
We ask for nothing but the address, and we send a confirmation first. Your list is never shown to this program, never sold, and every message has a link to stop. An inspection is routine: programs are visited on a schedule and after a complaint, and a visit is not a finding.
State inspection record
HHSC records 25 visits to this operation since October 2017, most recently on August 18, 2026, and 23 citations.
3 of those visits began with First Step Learning Center reporting something to the state itself rather than HHSC finding it. We publish that because it is part of the record and the state records it separately, not because it is good or bad: a program with none may have had nothing to report. 3,674 of the 12,933 programs listed here have at least one.
- 7High
- 9Medium High
- 5Medium
- 1Medium Low
- 1Low
Every citation below records a correction.
Citations
Showing all 23. Indented text is the inspector's own, reproduced verbatim.
- Medium August 18, 2026 Correction verified August 18, 2026
746.1309(c): Documented Annual Training - 1 hour in Prevention, Recognition and Reporting of child maltreatment
3 out of 4 staff files reviewed did not have an hour of child maltreatment training in the training period reviewed. This was corrected at inspection when 2 of the staff members used the current training period child maltreatment training.
- Medium High October 16, 2025 Correction verified October 16, 2025
746.3819: Food Allergy Emergency Plan Signed by Parents and Health Care Professional
One child had a food allergy plan that was signed by the physician, but not the child's parent.
- Medium High October 16, 2025 Corrected at inspection
746.2419(8): Requirements for Feeding Infants - Other Use of Handwashing Sink
In one of the infant rooms, the handwashing sink was being used for washing bottles. This was corrected during the inspection when the caregiver and director were informed that the handwashing can't be used for bottles and the bottles were taken to the kitchen.
- Medium High January 15, 2025 Correction verified January 21, 2025
746.1301(a)(6)(A): Training Requirements for Employees, Caregivers, and Directors - 30 Annual Training
The director was missing training in the following required topics: SIDs and shaken baby, abuse and neglect, emergency preparedness, communicable diseases, administering medication, responding to allergic reactions, understanding building and physical premises safety, and handling hazardous materials.
- Medium Low January 15, 2025 Correction verified January 15, 2025
746.901(5): Required Personnel Records - Required Affidavit (Form 2912)
Two caregivers who had been hired after September of 2023 did not have a pre-employment affidavit on file.
- Medium High January 15, 2025 Correction verified January 27, 2025
746.1301(a)(5)(A): Training Requirements for Employees, Caregivers, and Directors - 24 Annual training
One caregiver was missing eight hours of annual training and the required training topics, and five caregivers were missing the required training topics.
- High April 17, 2024 Correction verified April 25, 2024
746.1205(a)(2): Responsibilities of Caregivers - Know number of children responsible for
A caregiver stated she had 13 children in care and it was determined she had 15 children in care.
- High April 11, 2024 Correction verified April 17, 2024
746.1205(a)(4): Supervision ensures each child?s safety, well-being, including physical proximity and auditory or visual awareness of each child?s on going activity
Based on video footage viewed of the incident, it was determined the caregiver was not properly supervising the children. The caregiver was observed with her back to the children just prior to when the incident occurred.
- Medium February 15, 2024 Corrected at inspection
746.301(2): Notification of Change in Space
The operation changed 2 infant classroom to classrooms that were utilized by Toddlers and did not notify Child Care Regulation. In addition, the operation is not utilizing 3 classrooms that are counted towards the capacity. One classroom has paint stored on the counter and no furniture in the classroom. Another classroom was utilized as storage. The 3rd classroom was changed to a teacher lounge. I reviewed with the Director Child Care Regulation's required notifications. During the inspection, the classrooms were remeasured and a new permit will be generated to reflect the changes.
- Low February 17, 2023 Correction verified March 6, 2023
746.709: Incident/Illness Report Form Storage
The operation did not have incident reports for injuries that were known to have occurred with children in care.
- Medium February 17, 2023 Corrected at inspection
746.405(4): Required posting of Emergency Telephone numbers- Local Licensing Office Phone Number
While doing a walk through at the operation there was not a local Licensing office telephone number posted for parents to see. This was corrected at the inspection when contact numbers were posted on the parent board.
- High February 17, 2023 Correction verified March 6, 2023
746.1203(4): Responsibilities of Caregivers - Supervision of Children
While reviewing video footage at the operation it was seen that the supervision of children was not ensured when the caregivers ran out the room and children started walking out of the open door.
- Medium High February 10, 2023 Correction verified February 15, 2023
746.4907(a)(1): Installation and Maintenance of Loose-fill Surfacing - Six Inches if Equipment 5 Ft or Less
While walking the outdoor play area there was not 6 inches of loose fill present underneath the slides.
- Medium High December 1, 2022 Correction verified December 5, 2022
746.3407: Maintenance of Building, Grounds and Equipment
Observed the legs on playground equipment exposed which is a tripping hazard.
- Medium December 1, 2022 Correction verified December 16, 2022
746.1309(e): Documented Annual Training- Required Content
Observed 10 staff files. All 10 files were missing SIDS/Shaken baby, Admin medication, food allergy, and hazardous material training.
- Medium High December 1, 2022 Corrected at inspection
746.2407: Infant Care Area Furnishings and Equipment -Use of Safety Straps
Observed an infant sitting in a highchair without being strapped into the seat. It was corrected when the infant was taken out of the highchair.
- High December 1, 2022 Correction verified December 16, 2022
746.613(a): Required Immunizations
Observed 10 children's files. 2 out of 10 files were missing immunizations.
- Medium October 10, 2022 Corrected at inspection
746.4501(b): Chairs - Safety Straps Used if Required by Manufacturer
Observed 2 infants sitting in highchairs and were not strapped in the chair. This was corrected when the caregivers strapped the children in.
- Medium High October 8, 2022 Corrected at inspection
746.1601: Child/ Caregiver Ratio - 13 or More Children
During interviews it was found that a caregiver took two children inside, leaving 11 kids outside with one caregiver and the childrens ages were 1 year-2 years old. The specified age group was 18-23 months old. One caregiver can only have 9 children by themself at this age group. Another caregiver asked the caregiver when coming back outside to watch their group of children which left the 1-2 year old classroom out of ratio for longer period of time.
- High October 8, 2022 Correction verified October 13, 2022
746.1203(4): Responsibilities of Caregivers - Supervision of Children
A child was able to leave the gated area and run towards the road and down the sidwalk before a ex-employee caught the child. The caregiver who was in charge at the time, was not aware the child left the playground until another caregiver informed them.
- Medium High April 13, 2022 Correction verified May 13, 2022
746.4751(a): Maintenance Procedures for Active Play - Inspect Daily
The edges around the concrete basketball court slab was found to be a tripping hazard on the playground.
- High February 9, 2022 Correction verified March 4, 2022
746.1201(4): AP Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers -Ensure No Child Abused, Neglected, or Exploited
During an investigation there was sufficient evidence to support a child was physically abused.
- High February 9, 2022 Correction verified March 4, 2022
746.2805: Prohibited Punishments - No Harsh, Cruel or Unusual
During the course of the investigation, it was found that a caregiver caused bodily injury to a child by forcefully grabbing, dragging, yelling at the child, and tossing the child to the ground in anger.
Do you have a child enrolled here?
If First Step Learning Center confirms you are enrolled, you can tell us what you actually pay. We publish price ranges by city and age so other families know what to expect, and the only reliable source for that is people paying it.
There are no reviews on this site and we are not adding them. We publish the state's inspection record and facts families confirm, not opinions. Your address is never shown publicly; it goes to the program so they can confirm you, and nowhere else.
About this record
Every figure on this page comes from the Texas HHSC Child Care Regulation open data published at data.texas.gov, reproduced as the state recorded it. We do not grade, score or rank programs. A citation is a finding by a state inspector on a given day; it is not a judgment about a program today, and the correction status beside each one is part of the record. This page reflects data retrieved on November 7, 2026. Full methodology.
Operate this program? Write to corrections@childcaretx.com and we will publish your response beside any record here.