Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Certification Policy Manual
Certification workers should not conduct an initial / re-certification / relocation site visit before the applicable required “complete” application materials (see Section 3.1) have been submitted by the applicant. WISCCRS requires the ‘complete application date’ be prior to the initial, relocation, recertification site visit date.
It is best practice not to conduct the initial site visit until background checks, in accordance with 48.686, have been successfully completed and the CBU has issued the final eligibility notice. Once the applicant (and other individuals subject to the Background Check Law) has been screened and determined to eligible and the certification worker determined the applicant is qualified, the certification worker may schedule an appointment for the initial site visit.
The initial site visit may take two or more hours because the certification worker must inspect the entire premises and ensure the applicant is aware of expectations and understands the intent of the rules in chapter DCF 202 Child Care Certification and relevant statutes.
The home / premises where care is provided must be inspected and found to comply with required DCF 202 standards prior to granting the approval for an initial or a relocation certification. As mentioned in Section 2.2.9. it is helpful both to the applicant and certification worker when the Standards and Checklist has been completed by the applicant / operator and submitted to the certification agency prior to the initial and relocation site inspection. If the home/provider does not meet all of the standards initially, and a follow-up visit is required to verify correction before certification can be granted, the follow-up monitoring and verification of correction must be documented on the initial checklist or using a new checklist. If follow-up initial visits are conducted, be sure to enter the follow up initial visit(s) in WISCCRS.
If an applicant fails to complete the initial site visit requirement (example applicant never schedules the initial visit, cancels scheduled initial visits or is not home for scheduled initial visit) a determination regarding the application cannot be made and may be closed out as "incomplete" (versus denied). A denial requires a satisfactory investigation and determination regarding the applicant. In order to conduct the investigation and make a determination, the initial home visit would need to have taken place. In cases where the initial visit is never conducted, due to the applicant’s failure to complete the process in time frame given by the agency the application decision can be coded in WISCCRS as ‘incomplete.’
COVID-19 Update: See Module 3, Section 3.5 Site Visit for additional guidance.
3.5.2 Expired Recertification Visits
This page last updated 06/2024.