Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
An on-site investigation is required for the initial response when:
The licensing manager/licensing supervisor was immediately informed about the complaint and has directed that an on-site investigation should be done, or
The complaint involves an alleged illegal operation of a group child care center or day camp, or
The complaint involves an alleged illegal operation of an uncertified family child care center and a search of WISCCRS revealed a history of:
A previous license, or
An application denial, or
A revocation of the license, or
Employment in child care and/or completed background check, or
The center has no BECR history and is not currently certified, but had previous certification revoked due to substantiation of a licensable number of children in care, or
The center has no BECR history and is not currently certified and BECR received a previous complaint that was referred to the certifying agency for investigation, or
The complaint alleges that the center has incorrectly informed the public through advertising and/or other communications that the program is licensed, or
There is a previous complaint involving this provider’s name or address, regardless of whether the center was licensed or not, and regardless of the outcome of the previous complaint investigation. This constitutes BECR history and on on-site visit should be attempted.
The complaint includes information that a child was harmed while in the care of the individual. This should be discussed with the licensing manager/licensing supervisor before proceeding.
This page last updated 10/2021
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