Lil School House Cottage
Lil School House Cottage is a licensed child care center in Buffalo Gap, TX, licensed for up to 61 children and serving infants through school-age children. It has held its Texas license since 2021. Since October 2021, state inspectors have visited 32 times and investigated 3 reports. Inspectors recorded 30 citations, 9 of them high-risk, most often for building & playground safety (9 of 30). 2 citations came in the last 12 months. 13% were corrected during the inspection itself. Measured by risk-weighted citations per inspection, it is #38 of 46 centers in Taylor County and better than 32% of licensed centers statewide.
Inspection record
Every state visit
What inspectors cited most
Citations, newest first
A caregiver had an expired CPR training which expired July 2026.
The operation does not have a safety checklist for active play space areas.
Upon entry, a caregiver was observed down the hall and out of their classroom where 6 children ages 18mo-20mo were left unsupervised. This was corrected at inspection when the caregiver entered the classroom with the children.
Potty chairs used in the two year old room had dried urine around the rim. Furthermore, the small urinal contained urine. This was corrected at inspection when the potty chairs were sanitized and the urinal was emptied.
2 classrooms did not have activity plans posted for reivew.
A caregiver in the infant room did not wash hands after diapering a child and did not sanitize the diaper changing table. Furthermore, the caregiver did not was the infant's hands after diapering. Thsi was corrected at inspection when the caregiver washed their hands, washed the infants hands and sanitized the changing table.
The CPSC form had not been certified since July of 2020. This was corrected at the inspection when the form was certified.
3 outlets were observed to not have protective covers. The outdoor area had a green electrical cord in reach of children in care. The toddler room had diaper cream that stated "keep out of reach in children" accessible to children in care on top of the toilet. This was corrected at inspection when plug covers were placed on the outlets. The electrical cord was removed from the outdoor area and the diaper cream was placed out of reach of children.
2 toddlers were observed not buckled into the toddler table seats during snack time. This was corrected at inspection when the children were buckled in.
There was a 9 month old infant sleeping in the crib with a blanket covering their face. This was corrected at inspection when the blanket was removed from the crib.
The infant room had 7 infants with one caregiver. The ages of the infants: 6 months, 7 months, 7 months, 9 months, 9 months, 12 months, 13 months.
A caregiver in the toddler room and a caregiver in the infant room were observed using their phones for personal use while supervising children.
A caregiver in the 18 month to 3 yr old napping room with combined ages groups was unware of how many children they were responsible for. The caregiver stated they had 8 children in their group. However, there were 7 children in the group the caregiver was responsible for. There were 14 children total in the napping room. There were 2 caregivers in the room.
It was determined through the course of the investigation that a caregiver entered the operation with a firearm on their person and did not immediately remove it from the operation.
During the course of the investigation it was determined that a caregiver threatened corporal punishment with a belt towards children in care.
The infant room was out of ratio with 2 caregivers and 11 infants with a specified age group of 11 months. This was corrected at inspection when an infant's parent arrived to pick up an infant.
It was determined while viewing video footage that a school age child was allowed to enter the infant room and play on the floor along with the infants.
It was determined while reviewing video footage that a caregiver exited the classroom leaving one caregiver alone for approximately 14 minutes to supervise 6 infants.
During naptime a classsroom was observed out of ratio when a caregiver left the room. The room required 3 caregivers during naptime. The ages in the room were 12 months - 24 months. There were 23 children in the room. This was corrected inspection when another caregiver entered the room.
The older aged playground was observed to have multiple hazards. There was a water hose strung out across the playground. Other hazards observed were trash bags full of leaves, miracle grow fertilizer, a large metal screw and a broken piece of wood. Photos taken.
A five month old was swaddled and sleeping in the playyard. Photo taken.
Infants were observed to be eating on the front porch and picking up snacks off of the front porch that was soiled with dirty. The front porch also was not a safe area for them to be eating as they could easily fall through the slats of the porch.
The play pens where infants sleep were observed to be soiled with dirt and pebbles from outside.
Trash cans without lids were observed to have soiled diapers. Diaper changing pads were observed to be torn which reduces ability to properly sanitize them.
A play yard in the infant room had an extra mattress pad to make it more cushioned. This was removed at inspection.
Infants aged 10 to 16 months old were observed to be eating pretzels for snack. These were removed at inspection.
The center director has not maintained the required 30 annual training hours.
I observed a 12 month child on the play yard with a 32 month old child. This was corrected when the one class went inside.
4 caregivers were sitting in chairs on the play yard. 2 children were observed sitting at a picnic table putting rocks in their mouth, and this was not observed by the caregivers until the inspector brought it to their attention
The last documented fire drill was 9-13-21. A fire drill was conducted during this inspection.
About this center
Common questions
Does Lil School House Cottage take infants?
Yes. Texas licenses it to care for infants through school-age children.
What are Lil School House Cottage’s hours?
6:45 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday, according to its state licensing record. Confirm holiday and summer hours with the center.
Does Lil School House Cottage accept child care subsidies?
Not according to its state licensing record. Ask the center directly, since participation can change.
How much does Lil School House Cottage cost?
Texas does not publish individual centers’ prices, so ask Lil School House Cottage for its current tuition. For comparison, the median full-day price at licensed centers in the West Central Texas area, which includes Buffalo Gap, is $30.80 a day for infants, $29.60 a day for toddlers and $28.60 a day for 3-year-olds (2025 Texas Child Care Market Rate Survey).
Has Lil School House Cottage had any serious violations?
Inspectors recorded 9 high-risk citations since 2021. The most recent was on Aug 28, 2023: “Supervision ensures each child’s safety, well-being, including physical proximity and auditory or visual awareness of each child’s on going activity.” Each one is listed in full above.
How does Lil School House Cottage compare with other daycares in Taylor County?
It is #38 of 46 centers in Taylor County by risk-weighted citations per inspection, and is better than 32% of licensed centers statewide (out of 9,147 Texas centers with enough inspection history).
When was Lil School House Cottage last inspected?
Aug 6, 2026. Inspectors cited at least one rule during that visit.
Licensed centers nearby
665 Vine, Buffalo Gap · 0.1 mi away · 40 spotsFewer citations than mostLil School House
2081 Fm 89, Buffalo Gap · 0.5 mi away · 43 spotsAbout typicalTiny Tribe Preschool
702 Graham St, Tuscola · 5.1 mi away · 42 spotsFewer citations than mostDay Nursery of Abilene Beltway
3250 Beltway S, Abilene · 6.1 mi away · 125 spotsFewer citations than mostA Habitat for Learning
3242 Beltway S # Fm707, Abilene · 6.1 mi away · 163 spotsMore citations than mostPup Academy Staff Daycare
6249 Buffalo Gap Rd, Abilene · 7.2 mi away · 170 spotsAbout typical
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 1708847 on Search Texas Child Care. Data refreshed Sep 30, 2026.