Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Certification Policy Manual
Certification agencies must comply with the Department's Records Retention/Disposition (RDA) requirements by retaining certification records for six (6) years after closure of a certified program. Certification records may not be destroyed earlier than specified by the RDA and are not required to be retained longer than the specified period unless there is a pending audit or unresolved issue / legal action associated with a specific record.
In accordance with Wis. Stat. 16.61(2)(b) for state authorities and Wis. Stat. 19.32(2) for local authorities, a record is defined as papers, reports, photographs, electronic transmissions, databases, videos, machine-readable materials, and any other documentary materials, regardless of physical form or department’s business activities and serve as evidence of the department’s functions, policies, decisions, procedures, obligations and/or operations.
Closed, for the purpose of records retention, includes any of the following:
Revoked certification
Denial / refusal to renew certification
Voluntary closure or withdrew certification
Non-renewal
Applicants that do not complete the application/certification process
Examples of 6-year retention requirements:
An applicant is granted certification on 2/1/14 and due to renew on 1/31/16 but chooses not to renew his/her certification. The operator record shall be retained until 1/31/22.
An operator’s certification is revoked on 6/10/11. The operator appeals the revocation. The appeal decision issued on 7/6/11, rules in favor of the certification agency. The operator record shall be retained until 7/6/17.
An applicant’s application for certification is denied on 4/17/10 but the applicant does not appeal the denial. The record shall be retained until 4/17/16.
Note: Effective 9/1/21 after initial certification is granted certification agencies must monitor for compliance with the requirements for continuing education, CPR, and well-water and pet vaccinations, if applicable. This means that the certification agency may need to complete a “desk review” to ensure information is verified by the date due. If during the BRO certification review the information is not current, this may result in an agency non-compliance/finding and the information will need to be gathered and updated as a part of the Agency Review Correction Plan.
1.1.1 Which Documents are Required to be Uploaded in WISCCRS?
This page last updated 07/2021.