Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Certification Policy Manual
Public records law, s.19.31-19.37, Wis. Stats., allows the public to access information that has been filed or recorded by public agencies, such as the state, counties / tribes and certain non-profit agencies. Most public records are accessible to the public either free of charge or for a small fee (agency discretion). Certification records, including complaint/incident records, fall under the open records law (Chapter 19, Wis. Stats.) and can be accessed by the public. However, mental health, juvenile records or any information that identifies children, Child Protective Services, medical records and AODA (alcohol and other drugs abuse) records are exempt from this law.
When handling requests for public information:
No information on the status of the investigation shall be released until the investigation is completed and the certified operator and the complainant, if requested, have received the findings.
The certification agency shall develop protocol in responding to requests from the news media and other persons not involved in the investigation.
See Certification Policy Module 10 – Certification Records for additional guidance.
This page last updated 07/29/2015.