Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
There are certain violations of group and family child care administrative rules that require special handling as follows:
No Staff or Children’s File
If there is no staff file, the licensing specialist cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 250.04(5) or Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.04(5)(a). These identify the rule violation at the level of specificity which most precisely describes that violation.
If there is no children’s file, the licensing specialist cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 250.04(6)(a) or Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.04(6)(a).
When staff records are reviewed at a central location for multiple facilities that cross regional boundaries and violations are cited, see Section 5.1.3 in the Monitoring Activity Standards for Licensed Programs chapter.
Staff or Children's File Available but Missing One or More Items
When a staff or children’s file is missing one or more items, the licensing specialist cites the specific items missing from the file. This means that each and every missing item is separately cited.
When the staff file is missing a certificate from The Registry (or documentation of the person’s educational qualifications for persons not required to have The Registry certificate), the licensing specialist cites the missing certificate or documentation under Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.05(2)(a)4.a. (If the licensee reveals in conversation with the licensing specialist that a staff member is not qualified according to the rule requirements, the licensing specialist cites the appropriate, specific rule under Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 250.05 and Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.05, Staffing.)
When an employee works at multiple licensed locations (e.g., an administrator of multiple programs whose staff file is kept at each licensed location), a staff file violation determined during a monitoring visit is cited at the location that is under review.
Orientation
When no orientation was provided to staff, the licensing specialist cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.05(2)(a).
If the staff orientation was conducted and documented, but it didn't cover all areas, the licensing specialist cites the specific topics missing from orientation. For example, if the orientation didn’t cover first aid procedures, the licensing specialist cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.05(2)(a)4. If more than one orientation topic is missing, the licensing specialist cites each topic as a separate violation.
If the licensing specialist can verify that an orientation was conducted and all areas were covered, but documentation is not included in the record, s/he cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.04(5)(a)5.
Reporting Child Abuse
If there was no training on child abuse and neglect reporting, the licensing specialist cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 250.04(8)(b) or Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.04(8)(b).
If there was training on child abuse and neglect reporting, but not all required topics were covered, the licensing specialist cites the specific missing topic. For example, if the training was missing the component on identifying children who have been abused or neglected, s/he cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 250.04(8)(b)2 or Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.04(8)(b)2. If more than one training area is missing, s/he cites each area as a separate violation.
Enrollment Information in Group Child Care and Family Child Care
The licensing specialist cites at the broadest level, not to the specific level of missing item(s).
The licensing specialist cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.04(6)(a) if there is no enrollment form and Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 251.04(6)(a)1., if there is an enrollment form but there are missing item(s).
The licensing specialist cites Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 250.04(6)(a) for no record and Wis. Admin. Code § DCF 250.04(6)(a)1 if there is a record but it is incomplete.
4.4. Choosing the Administrative Rule Number
4.4.1. Special Handling of Certain Group and Family Child Care Rules
This page last updated 03/2019.