Hearth Record

Merit Children’s Academy Lakewood

A licensed child care center in Dallas, Texas 75214

6210 E Mockingbird Ln, Dallas, Texas 75214. (214) 252-7100.

Texas’s own record, on its child care search

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The short answer

Record last released by Texas HHSC on Nov 5, 2026.

The last 24 months 13 deficiencies in 7 months of the last 36. Last cited Jun 2026. Most serious: High. Every month

Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.

What these words mean5
Inspection (survey)
A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
Deficiency, citation, violation
What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
Texas’s risk levels
Texas gives each child care deficiency a risk level, by how likely it is to harm a child: Low, Medium Low, Medium, Medium High or High. High is its most serious. Source: Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation.
Licence status
Whether the state’s licence lets the place operate now, in the state’s own words: licensed, on probation (allowed to keep operating on conditions, after problems), provisional, pending or expired. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.
Capacity
The most people the licence or certification lets the place care for at once: residents, children, beds or apartments, as the state counts them. It isn’t how many are there now. Source: Each state’s licensing agency.

What did inspectors find?

13 deficiencies cited in the last three years

The middle of the 986 child care providers in Dallas County had 2.

24 inspections on record. The latest, on Oct 30, 2026: no violation found.

Rated High by Texas: Supervision ensures each child?s safety, well-being, including physical proximity and auditory or visual awareness of each child?s on going activity, at the report to the state on May 19, 2026

Rated High by Texas: Supervision ensures each child?s safety, well-being, including physical proximity and auditory or visual awareness of each child?s on going activity, at the report to the state on May 8, 2026

Rated High by Texas: Report Situation Placing Children at Risk, at the report to the state on Dec 17, 2025

4 more rated High; all are listed below.

Source:

Texas HHSC, deficiencies (non-compliance data) and inspections and investigations. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.

When those deficiencies happened

13 deficiencies in 7 months of the last 36. Last cited Jun 2026. Most serious: High. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.

13 deficiencies by month over the last 3 years. Each cell is one month.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2023 Dec
2024 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2025 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2026 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNov

Hover or focus a month to read it.

No visit on record Visited, nothing cited A stronger orange is more serious, on its source’s own levels, read onto four bands: from the least serious it publishes to the most
Source:

Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.

Each deficiency, in Texas’s words

Grouped by visit, newest first, with the risk level Texas gave it, from Low to High.

Source:

Texas HHSC, deficiencies (non-compliance data). Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.

Jun 22, 2026: report to the state1 deficiency

  • Child/ Caregiver Ratio - 13 or More Children

    “This standard was tasked as a result of an investigation and found to be deficient. It was determined that the Young Toddler B classroom had been out of ratio.”

    Rule 746.1601. Medium High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Aug 6, 2026. Correction verified: Aug 6, 2026.

May 19, 2026: report to the state1 deficiency

  • Supervision ensures each child?s safety, well-being, including physical proximity and auditory or visual awareness of each child?s on going activity

    “This standard was pulled as part of an investigation and found to be deficient. A child was left alone on the playground for thirty-three minutes.”

    Rule 746.1205(a)(4). High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: May 28, 2026. Correction verified: Jun 5, 2026.

May 8, 2026: report to the state1 deficiency

  • Supervision ensures each child?s safety, well-being, including physical proximity and auditory or visual awareness of each child?s on going activity

    “The standard was assessed during an investigation and found to be deficit. A substitute caregiver from a childcare agency was observed asleep while responsible for supervising children”

    Rule 746.1205(a)(4). High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Jun 2, 2026. Correction verified: Jun 5, 2026.

May 1, 2026: inspection1 deficiency

  • Food Allergy Emergency Plan Signed by Parents and Health Care Professional

    “Three Food Allergy Emergency Plans were missing parent signature.”

    Rule 746.3819. Medium High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: May 5, 2026. Correction verified: May 18, 2026.

Dec 17, 2025: report to the state2 deficiencies

  • Report Situation Placing Children at Risk

    “It was determined that the operation did not report an allegation of inappropriate discipline in April of 2025.”

    Rule 746.305(a)(6). High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Jan 13, 2026. Correction verified: Jan 15, 2026.

  • Required Records Storage

    “When I requested an infant’s feeding instructions from October of 2025 in December of 2025 I was told by the caregiver and members of management it had been thrown away.”

    Rule 746.803(a). Medium Low, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Jan 13, 2026. Correction verified: Jan 15, 2026.

Oct 21, 2025: report to the state1 deficiency

  • Responsibilities of Employees and Caregivers -Demonstrate Competency, Good Judgment, Self-control

    “Three caregivers were observed in video footage inappropriately handling infants. One caregiver was seen inappropriately maneuvering an infant by one arm. The second was observed picking up and holding infants inappropriately with little support to support their head, neck, or spine. The third was observed inappropriately removing an infant from a restrictive device and pulling their arm behind their back to an unnatural angle to wipe their hand, which likely caused a serious accidental injury.”

    Rule 746.1201(1). High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Dec 18, 2025. Correction verified: Dec 19, 2025.

May 20, 2025: inspection1 deficiency

  • Responsibilities of Caregivers - Know number of children responsible for

    “Two caregivers were not aware of the number of children in their care.”

    Rule 746.1205(a)(2). High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: May 20, 2025. Correction verified: May 30, 2025.

Nov 20, 2024: report to the state2 deficiencies

  • Prohibited Punishments - Grabbing and Pulling

    “A caregiver grabbed a child by the arm in an inappropriate manner.”

    Rule 746.2805(3). High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Dec 9, 2024. Correction verified: Dec 16, 2024.

  • Report Situation Placing Children at Risk

    “A concern regarding inappropriate discipline was not report to licensing.”

    Rule 746.305(a)(6). High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Dec 9, 2024. Correction verified: Dec 9, 2024.

Aug 6, 2024: inspection3 deficiencies

  • Each Caregiver and the Director Must Have Current Training in pediatric first aid with rescue breathing and choking.

    “Two staff files reviewed had expired certification.”

    Rule 746.1315(a). Medium High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Aug 23, 2024. Correction verified: Aug 8, 2024.

  • CPR Training and Recertification Adhere to Guidelines-skill based

    “One staff file reviewed did not complete First aid/ CPR training that included hands-on skill-based training.”

    Rule 746.1315(b)(1). Medium High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Aug 23, 2024. Correction verified: Aug 21, 2024.

  • Food Allergy Emergency Plan Signed by Parents and Health Care Professional

    “Five F.A.R.E forms reviewed did not have parent signature as required.”

    Rule 746.3819. Medium High, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Aug 9, 2024. Correction verified: Aug 8, 2024.

1 deficiency older than three years
Jul 13, 2022: inspection1 deficiency

  • Required Records Maintained and Made Available - Infant Feeding Instructions

    “At the time of the inspection several children did not have current infant feeding instructions.”

    Rule 746.801(2). Medium, by Texas’s label. Correction date, as Texas HHSC recorded it: Jul 18, 2022. Correction verified: Jul 15, 2022.

All 33 visits on record
Inspections, investigations and reports to the state
DateVisitWhat the record says
Oct 30, 2026InspectionNo violation found
Jun 24, 2026InspectionNo violation found
Jun 22, 2026Report to the state1 deficiency cited
Jun 5, 2026InspectionNo violation found
May 19, 2026InspectionNo violation found
May 19, 2026Report to the state1 deficiency cited
May 12, 2026InspectionNo violation found
May 8, 2026Report to the state1 deficiency cited
May 1, 2026Inspection1 deficiency cited
Dec 30, 2025InspectionNo violation found
Dec 19, 2025InspectionNo violation found
Dec 17, 2025Report to the state2 deficiencies cited
Oct 23, 2025InspectionNo violation found
Oct 22, 2025InspectionNo violation found
Oct 21, 2025Report to the state1 deficiency cited
Jun 11, 2025InspectionNo violation found
May 30, 2025InspectionNo violation found
May 20, 2025Inspection1 deficiency cited
May 16, 2025Report to the stateNo violation found
Apr 16, 2025InspectionNo violation found
Apr 15, 2025Report to the stateNo violation found
Dec 16, 2024InspectionNo violation found
Nov 21, 2024InspectionNo violation found
Nov 20, 2024Report to the state2 deficiencies cited
Aug 6, 2024Inspection3 deficiencies cited
Feb 22, 2024InspectionNo violation found
Sep 6, 2023InspectionNo violation found
Mar 1, 2023InspectionNo violation found
Jul 13, 2022Inspection1 deficiency cited
Jul 1, 2022Report to the stateNo violation found
Jun 7, 2022InspectionNo violation found
May 17, 2022InspectionNo violation found
Feb 28, 2022InspectionNo violation found

Is it licensed?

  • Licensed Center, permit issued Sep 16, 2022.
  • Licensed for ages: Infant, Toddler, Pre-Kindergarten, School.
  • Capacity: 170 children.
Source:

Texas HHSC, child care operations. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.

Has Texas acted against it?

  • No corrective or adverse action by Texas on record.
  • 9 reports to the state on record; Texas doesn’t publish whether they were .
Source:

Texas HHSC, child care operations and inspections and investigations. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.

Who does the caring?

  • Texas doesn’t publish staffing levels for individual providers. State rules set staff-to-child ratios by age.

Who owns it?

  • Texas’s open data doesn’t list owners.

How is it rated?

  • Not rated in Texas Rising Star.
Source:

Texas Workforce Commission, subsidy providers and Texas Rising Star. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.

How does it compare nearby?

  • Among 986 child care providers in Dallas County, the middle value for deficiencies cited in the last three years was 2; this one had 13.
Source:

Texas HHSC, deficiencies (non-compliance data). Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.

11 of the 986 in Dallas County, as the source lists them, same ZIP code first
PlaceDeficiencies, 3 years
Lakewood YMCA4
Jeanette Harris0
YMCA @ Eduardo Mata Elementary9
Zion Lutheran Church and School3
Northridge Child Development Center12
YMCA @ Rogers Dallas7
Merit Children’s Academy Lakewood This child care provider13
Rainbow Land Child Care Center7
Munger Square Educational Child Care Center22
Junius Learning Center6
Bezos Academy-Lakewood0
Cuddly Kids Hourly Weekly Care4

What the record doesn’t say

  • Texas doesn’t publish whether a complaint was substantiated.
  • Texas rates some paperwork slips as High risk, so read what was actually cited.
  • Texas doesn’t publish staffing levels or owners for individual providers.

Sources

If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: Texas HHSC or Texas Workforce Commission. Texas’s own record is on its child care search. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.

Source:

This copy of the record was made on Nov 5, 2026.

From the provider

The public record above comes first. Anything the provider adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.

Replies

None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the provider will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.

Paid listing

None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the provider”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.

How to read a record

Four things every record does, shown on an example record made up for this guide.

An example record, made up for this guide

An example nursing home

Made up for this guide: no real place is shown

Not fully inspected in over two years (CMS flag)

11 health citations at the latest inspection cycle

The state average is 14.3.

Source:

CMS, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.

From the homeNone yet. Replies and paid listings aren’t open, and when they open they will sit here, below the record.

1 of 4

Every fact names its source.

Who published it, when, and how often it changes sit beside each fact, with a link to the agency’s own file.

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