Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
Typically, a copy of the Notice of Denial is sent certified and U.S. mail. In rare situations and only with the concurrence of the licensing manager/licensing supervisor, the Notice of Denial may be hand-delivered to the applicant. This generally occurs because the applicant has refused to accept certified mail delivery. In this case, the licensing manager/licensing supervisor or another specialist should accompany the licensing specialist to the location.
When hand-delivery is required, the licensing specialist must document the date, time, and persons involved in the hand-delivery. If possible, it is advisable to have the licensee sign a Delivery of Document Receipt. A standardized format for this receipt is available on the BECR Intranet. If the applicant refuses the hand-delivery, the notice is left at the location. The person accompanying the licensing specialist serves as a witness to the delivery and signs the Delivery of Document Receipt.
A probationary licensee is allowed to operate during the 10-day appeal period and, if appealed, during appeal proceedings. However, pursuant to Wis. Admin. Code §§ DCF 250.11(9)(b), 251.11(8)(b) and 252.05(8)(b), child care centers and day camps may not accept for care any child not enrolled and in care as of the date of receipt of the notice, without written approval of BECR.
Occasionally, an applicant will voluntarily withdraw his/her application before the notice of denial is sent in an attempt to negate the denial. (An application withdrawal is only allowed if it is because a household member or employee of the applicant is barred under the background check law.) Once a decision is made to deny the license, it must be processed as a denial in WISCCRS, even if the applicant voluntarily withdraws the application. This is because only the most serious circumstances lead to denial; completing the denial is the only way to ensure that the violations that led to denial will be known, should the applicant reapply for a license in the same or a different regional office.
In accordance with Wis. Admin. Code §§ DCF 250.11(2)(g), 251.11(1)(h), and 252.05(10)(h), BECR may not process an application for a license if the applicant had a license or certification to operate a child care center denied within the last two years. An applicant is deemed ineligible to submit an application for a license and a person may not hire an employee within two years from the date an applicant or employee had a child care license denied.
It is also important that a DCF 13-related denial is recorded as such so that the action will be reflected in future Integrated Background Information System (IBIS) search results.
This page last updated 10/2020.