Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
The licensing specialist must conduct an investigation that is thorough enough to inquire into all aspects of the complaint, identify any additional noncompliances, make a fair ruling on validity, and sustain the challenge of an appeal of enforcement actions taken on the basis of the investigation. On the other hand, the licensing specialist must resist going well beyond what is needed to satisfy these requirements. “Thorough” does not necessarily mean “exhaustive.” There is a point of diminishing returns in any investigation when the licensing specialist must consciously weigh the benefit of investing additional time and, thus, delaying the finding, against the need to gather additional information. Redundant collection of information that adds nothing more to the investigation is a poor use of time and resources. A competent investigation meets the following standards:
All reported, discovered and/or logically related rule violations associated with the complaint have been thoroughly investigated;
The investigation considered all key documents, appropriate observations, witnesses and collateral witnesses; and
The investigation was fair and balanced with no obvious bias in its approach. The licensing specialist was equally diligent in looking for evidence that would refute as well as confirm the validity of the complaint.
This page last updated 01/2017.