Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
An FBI fingerprint-based background check must be completed for all licensees and existing and prospective household members and employees in child care centers and day camps. Once the fingerprint check is completed and the results are reviewed by the Child Care Background Unit (CBU), the CBU issues an eligibility determination within 5-7 business days to the provider and to the individual subject to the fingerprint-based check, based on a review of the criminal history for barred convictions. Initially, the provider and the individual will receive a notice titled Preliminary Background Check – Eligibility which allows an individual to reside or work in a regulated facility under supervision. Supervision following a preliminary eligibility determination must include at a minimum periodic direct observation by an individual with a Department-approved background check and it must occur during the time that the individual has access to children.
When all parts of the background check have been completed, the CBU will issue either a final eligibility or ineligibility determination. A final eligibility determination allows the person to reside at or work in the facility without supervision. The notice, titled Final Background Check – Eligibility, is sent to the provider and to the individual through US mail and through the Child Care Provider Portal (CCPP). Final eligibility notices may take 45 days or more to complete, usually due to background checks that require additional time to get records from other state, county and municipal entities. An ineligibility determination means that the individual may not work or reside in a child care center. This determination may be appealed with the Department. The provider should have hiring policies in place to address ineligibility terminations.
For further information regarding who is subject to the initial and 5-year FBI check and the annual DOJ background check, licensing specialists should refer to the Child Care Background Check procedure manual.
3.9 Monitoring for Background Check Compliance
3.9.1 Background Check Violations
3.9.2 When the CFS-294 is Issued by the CBU
This page last updated 10/2019.