No. Since September 1, 2023, Texas does not accept anonymous reports of child abuse or neglect, including reports about daycares. You have to give your name and phone number, but the law keeps your name confidential.
Many parents hesitate to report a daycare because they’re afraid the staff will find out and take it out on their child, or that they’ll lose their spot. Those fears are real. Here are the three things you need to know before you report, and how to make sure your report gets read. For the full step-by-step, see how to report a daycare in Texas.
1. Anonymous reporting ended in 2023, and here’s why
Texas House Bill 63 took effect on September 1, 2023. Before then, anyone could call the state and report abuse or neglect without giving a name.
Lawmakers changed the rule because anonymous reports could not be checked. According to the bill analysis, when the state couldn’t verify who was calling, investigators spent hours on false accusations, like a bystander misreading a child’s meltdown or a parent in a custody fight calling to hurt the other side. Requiring a name was meant to cut down on bad-faith reports so real ones get investigated.
Today the Texas Abuse Hotline will not accept a report without your full name and a phone number. A business or agency name doesn’t count.
2. Your name is still confidential
Anonymous and confidential are not the same thing.
- Anonymous means the state doesn’t know who you are. That option is gone.
- Confidential means the state knows who you are but protects your name. That is still the law.
The daycare is not told who made the report. If you need to stay anonymous, you can report to local law enforcement instead of the state hotline.
3. A precise report gets read
The state has limited investigators and a long line of reports. Its own reporting site warns that reports without enough detail may be closed with no further action.
To make your report count:
- Call if it’s urgent. Use the hotline, 1-800-252-5400, for anything urgent, including any injury to a child 5 or younger. The website is for non-urgent reports and can take more than 48 hours to process.
- Lead with what happened. Start with the injury or incident, the date, and the daycare’s name and address. Skip the play-by-play of your day.
- Attach proof. Photos, medical records, the daycare’s incident report, and texts or emails with staff.
One more thing: daycare video is often recorded over within 48 hours. Filing a report does not require the daycare to save it. Ask for the whole day’s video in writing right away.
Don’t let fear of being named keep you from reporting
A report tells the state what happened. It does not pay your child’s medical bills or hold the daycare accountable to your family. Malley Law has experience helping families file daycare complaints. We know what the state looks at, and we know the Texas laws and child care rules that can be cited. If your child was hurt, learn about daycare negligence claims.
Contact us for a free consultation, or call our Houston office at 713.858.8143 or our Beaumont office at 409.212.8888.