Essential Steps
Essential Steps is a licensed child care center in Rockwall, TX, licensed for up to 63 children and serving infants through school-age children. It has held its Texas license since 1996. Since October 2021, state inspectors have visited 10 times and investigated 2 reports. Inspectors recorded 16 citations, 0 of them high-risk, most often for building & playground safety (9 of 16). 14 citations came in the last 12 months. 6% were corrected during the inspection itself. Measured by risk-weighted citations per inspection, it is #21 of 21 centers in Rockwall and better than 17% of licensed centers statewide.
Inspection record
Every state visit
What inspectors cited most
Citations, newest first
Playground hazard: Children were observed playing on a tree that appeared to damaged from severe weather.
One staff member did not have the required notorized affidavit.
The younger playground did not have the required six inches of surfacing (pea gravel).
Two booster seats used to transport children were expired.
The wheels on the Merry go cycle were broken and needed to be repaired.
1 child observed in the infant classroom during the inspection did not have updated infant feeding instructions signed by parent.
Bottle were missing labels and the Director corrected it by writing the child's name on their bottles
The director did not provide documentation for sheltering or lockdown drills.
All infants observed in the infant classroom during the inspection did not have updated infant feeding instructions.
The operation does not have a current gas inspection availble for review for CCR.
The loose-fill located on the playground measured less than one inch.
The operation did not have a building and ground checklist available for review.
The wheels on the Merry go cycle were broken and needed to be repaired.
The operation does not have an updated fire inspection on file. The Director called the fire marshal and scheduled for Tuesday11-25-2025 and will provide documentation.
One van used to transport children in care did not have the required first aid kit.
Playground hazards: broken plastic slide; wooden storage shed with splinted wood (children observed putting hands in wooden shed).
About this center
Common questions
Does Essential Steps take infants?
Yes. Texas licenses it to care for infants through school-age children.
What are Essential Steps’s hours?
6:30 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday through Friday, according to its state licensing record. Confirm holiday and summer hours with the center.
Does Essential Steps accept child care subsidies?
Yes, according to its state licensing record.
Has Essential Steps had any serious violations?
No high-risk citations since 2021. It has 16 lower-risk citations, listed above.
How does Essential Steps compare with other daycares in Rockwall?
It is #21 of 21 centers in Rockwall by risk-weighted citations per inspection, and is better than 17% of licensed centers statewide (out of 9,147 Texas centers with enough inspection history).
When was Essential Steps last inspected?
May 8, 2026. No violations were found during that visit.
Licensed centers nearby
305 S Fannin St, Rockwall · 0.1 mi away · 27 spotsFewer citations than mostRise Academy Learning Center
301 W Kaufman St, Rockwall · 0.2 mi away · 70 spotsFewer citations than mostLighthouse Academy
951 N Lakeshore Dr, Rockwall · 0.9 mi away · 188 spotsAbout typicalRockwall Early Head Start Center
1197 T L Townsend Dr, Rockwall · 1.0 mi away · 36 spotsAbout typicalLightbridge Academy of Fate
1425 Memorial Pkwy, Fate · 1.2 mi away · 259 spotsAbout typicalArk Preschool
1200 E Yellow Jacket Ln, Rockwall · 1.2 mi away · 175 spotsFewer citations than most
Citations are quoted from Texas HHS inspection records. Many are corrected the same day, and a citation is a finding about one rule, not a judgment about a center overall.
To see the official record, search operation 520042 on Search Texas Child Care. Data refreshed Sep 30, 2026.