Child Care Background Checks

Child Care Background Check

Laws Specific to Child Care Employee Background Checks

Federal law requires every state to complete a state and federal background check on all child care employees working in licensed or license-exempt, regulated, or registered child-care facilities. Each state can set its own requirements, so state law may vary somewhat. However, all states will have similar requirements to ensure compliance with federal law.

A comprehensive child care background check is required for all individuals who work at child care centers, family child care providers, or other services providers such as schools or community-based organizations. This includes anyone who may have unsupervised contact with the children such as janitors, kitchen staff, sports instructors, bus drivers, and administrative employees. In addition, anyone over the age of 18 who lives at an in-home daycare facility must also submit to a comprehensive background check.

There are a few exceptions. For example, if the provider only offers child care to children to whom they are related, a background check is not required. However, for this to remain true, the provider may not care for any children who are not related to them. Some states require a comprehensive daycare background check for volunteers and others do not, so it's important to confirm the law in your state. Some employers may decide to background check everyone, even if it is not required. This can give you extra peace of mind and may reduce potential liability if an issue were to occur.

Federal law requires child care providers to request a comprehensive background check for each staff member. The law does allow for staff to begin working in the facility before all pieces of the background check are completed, as long as they are supervised at all times by another staff member who has already successfully completed their background check. In addition, every staff member is required to re-complete their background check at least once every five years.

Benefits of Conducting a Child Care Background Check

The primary purpose of required child care background checks is to ensure child safety. By doing an FBI fingerprint check, employers can verify that potential staff members do not have any type of criminal history that could put a child's safety or health at risk. Comprehensive background checks also confirm that the person has not committed child abuse or neglect and is not a registered sex offender.

Completing the required background checks keeps you in compliance with the law and helps ensure that no child is harmed while under your care. It can also help you make sure you're only hiring reliable and trustworthy staff. In addition, having the proper licensing and background check documentation in place helps put parents' minds at ease when they are searching for a child care provider.