Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
If the warning letter does not bring about compliance, the licensing specialist should consult with the licensing manager/licensing supervisor to determine next steps. Typically, the next step after the warning letter has not brought about compliance is to initiate enforcement action through the imposition of an order. However, there may be many factors which impact the decision to move to enforcement, such as the following:
The provider’s previous compliance history has been satisfactory and based on previous experience with the licensee, it is likely that compliance will eventually be achieved;
The recent violations that necessitated the warning letter do not appear to be part of an ongoing pattern of the center;
The provider appears to be making progress toward correcting one or more of the violations but has not yet accomplished what is required to verify correction of all violations;
There are extenuating circumstances, such as an illness, preventing the licensee from addressing the violations.
Ultimately, the issuance of two or more warning letters without results suggests that the next step, enforcement action, is necessary. The licensing specialist should discuss enforcement action with the licensing manager/licensing supervisor if s/he has issued two warning letters and still does not observe progress in achieving compliance. Should enforcement action be necessary and the licensee appeals the enforcement action, the warning letter is useful as evidence of the licensing specialist’s attempt to bring the licensee into compliance.
This page last updated 10/2020.