Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
Once the applicant has submitted the license application, the required background check request forms and all other related materials, the CBU and the licensing specialist reviews all materials, and makes a determination as to whether:
The application review process should end that this point in a denial, before an on-site visit has been made, or
The applicant is eligible for licensure, based on the review of all background check and other application documents.
Once a determination is made that the licensing process can move forward, the licensing specialist then schedules and conducts an initial on-site licensing study visit. The licensing specialist should not make the initial on-site licensing study visit before the final background check eligibility determination has been issued by the CBU.
Licensing specialists must make at least one (1) on-site visit to a center prior to the issuance of a probationary license. In many cases, the licensing specialist completes at least two (2) on-site visits during this application process to provide pre-licensing technical assistance and to verify compliance with all applicable rules on the licensing checklist that can be reviewed and documented as met prior to issuance of a probationary license.
At the licensing specialist’s initial on-site licensing study visit, s/he reviews the applicant’s completed Initial Licensing Checklist that was submitted with the application and documents whether each item is met, not met or not applicable. The licensing specialist measures all areas inside and outside the building to determine the amount of usable space available to children. This calculation is used to determine the maximum licensed capacity of the center. (A space letter and dated diagram, with measurements, is sent to the applicant within 20 working days after the license is issued and a copy of the space letter and diagram is uploaded into WISCCRS.) The licensing specialist also assesses equipment and materials and the number of toilets and washbasins available. The amount of usable indoor and outdoor space, the number of toilets and washbasins, and the amount of equipment and materials available are all considered when determining the actual capacity of the program. (See the section of the Group Commentary Manual labeled DCF 251.06-Physical Plant and Equipment, (7)(a)-Indoor Space, for more information on considerations in determining capacity.)
If all applicable rules have been verified as met at the initial licensing study visit(s) and the licensing specialist has determined capacity based on the factors identified above, the licensing specialist can then calculate the licensing fee. The probationary license is issued once the fee is paid.
The licensing specialist may record the results of the initial on-site licensing study visit(s) made prior to issuance of the probationary license in one of the following two ways:
If the licensing specialist uses the iPad mobile application to record visit results prior to issuance of a probationary license, rules may only be checked either as “Met” or left blank if the rule is not met at the time of the visit. “Unmet” may not be checked in the mobile application prior to issuance of the probationary license. The licensing specialist flags each unmet rule that has been left blank to track those rules that still need to be verified as met at subsequent visits and may include additional information on the unmet rule in the Internal Comments field of the mobile application.
The licensing specialist may prefer to complete a paper copy of the checklist prior to issuance of a probationary license to indicate rules that are met, unmet or not applicable, using the applicant’s completed copy of the Initial Licensing Checklist. If the paper copy is used, “unmet” may be checked.
In either case, the licensing specialist should provide the applicant with a document (e.g., screenshot, notes, copy of the paper checklist) indicating those rules that s/he will need to meet prior to issuance of a probationary license. The licensing specialist either leaves documentation of unmet rules at the conclusion of the site visit or sends a copy of the documentation to the applicant within 10 business days.
This page last updated 10/2020.