Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Certification Policy Manual
Prior to granting certification, the applicant must have a designated adult who can provide care in the event of an unexpected emergency. The emergency back−up child care provider is at least 18 years of age and can provide an acceptable level of child care.
DCF 202.02(5g) defines emergency as:
“Unforeseen circumstances that require immediate attention."
DCF 202.02(5m) defines emergency back-up provider as: “a designated adult who is available to assist in the event an emergency occurs that requires a provider to leave the premises occasionally for a short period of time.”
Note: A designated emergency back-up provider shall not be used as a “substitute”, as defined in DCF 202.02(20g) unless the individual has met the requirements outlined in section 1.1.4 regarding substitutes and been approved by the certification worker.
The operator shall ensure that the emergency back-up provider receives an orientation before beginning to work that covers the following:
The names and ages of children in care.
A review of children’s records, including parent and emergency contact information.
Specific information relating to a child’s special health care needs, including administration of medications, disabilities, allergies, or other special health conditions.
A review of the operator’s plan for responding to emergencies.
A review of DCF 202.
Emergency back-up providers must comply with SIDS, AHT/SBS training requirements. Certification workers can provide technical assistance to certified operators about this rule and the potential for a situation that could give rise to a citation or other sanction if the rule is violated. See the Certification Policy Manual Module 5 - Training for additional guidance regarding emergency back-up providers.
The intent of DCF 202.08(4m)(e) rule is to prepare the operator for an unexpected emergency and to assure that the children are supervised by an adult.
Note: Emergency back-up providers should not be used on a pre-arranged or planned basis, but instead, only if an emergency arises and to facilitate the pick-up of children by parents/guardians. See the Definition for an Emergency DCF 202.02(5g). The Department is not required to conduct a background check on the emergency back-up provider(s). However, if a certification worker is aware that the emergency provider is a substantiated maltreator the certification worker may communicate a concern to the certification applicant/operator that pertains to the emergency provider without disclosing confidential information to the applicant/operator. The individual may have been approved through the rehabilitation review process, or may not be aware of the substantiation themselves and will need to address it with the county CPS agency.
This page last updated 01/2020.