Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Certification Policy Manual
The Certification Review process is a joint effort between the Bureau of Regional Operations (BRO) and the Bureau of Early Care Regulation (BECR) to monitor certification agencies for compliance with certification requirements and provide technical assistance to agencies to ensure the safety of children and support quality child care services by certified operators.
In 2009, the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) evaluated child care regulation in licensed and certified facilities and the potential for fraud and abuse under Wisconsin Shares. The LAB report included several recommendations for improvements of certification practice including, but not limited to:
Timeliness of site visits
Documentation of attempted visits
Identification of violations
Documentation of monitoring results in WISCCRS in database
Sanctioning of programs with large numbers and/or severe violations
The review process includes the following elements:
Review of certification activity documentation by looking at a sample of provider records in the WISCCRS system and on-site at the agency, including open records for currently certified providers and closed records.
Orientation and training activities to assist providers in becoming certified and meet ongoing training requirements.
Compliance with background check procedures.
Completion of new worker training by certification workers.
Review of provider complaints and denial, revocation or suspension actions taken against providers.
Interviews with agency staff.
Certifying agencies will be reviewed every 3 years, with the reviews scheduled by BRO child care coordinators at the agency’s convenience. The BRO child care coordinator will work with the agency to conduct the various elements of the review process. Upon completion of the review, the agency will receive a written report with the results of the review. In the event that improvements are necessary, the BRO child care coordinator will work with the agency to develop an Action Plan to address review findings and recommendations. Action Plans will be reviewed by the BECR certification specialist. If a serious problem is identified the agency may be directed to take corrective action. The BRO child care coordinator will provide consultation and technical assistance to agencies as they develop and implement their Action Plans and any Corrective Actions.
Review findings will be used to:
Identify and analyze discrepancies in agency interpretation and implementation of statutes and administrative rules
Support agencies to comply with statutes and administrative rules by providing training and technical assistance on the areas of non-compliance
Inform revisions or development of future policy / procedure manuals and certification training materials
In addition to the full Certification Reviews every three years, BRO child care coordinators will also make annual on-site visits to agencies to check with agencies on their certification programs, including follow-up on previous Certification Reviews, trends in certification activities as documented in WISCRRS and agency training and technical assistance needs.
See Administrative Memo 12-02 for more information. (Available on the Wisconsin Shares SharePoint site.)
A link to the Administrative Review Forms is located on the Certification SharePoint site (under Links)
This page last updated 01/2020.