Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Licensing Procedure Manual
In any situation in which the licensing specialist believes children are at risk, the licensing specialist must consult with the licensing manager/licensing supervisor who may, in turn, consult with the BECR Director and the DCF Office of Legal Counsel to determine next steps. At a minimum, this consultation should occur in the following circumstances:
An annual visit in which four or more serious, repeat violations are cited;
An annual visit in which twenty (20) or more violations are cited at the single visit;
A report that the program has an egregious incident such as a death or serious injury of a child while in care which gives the licensing specialist reason to believe that children in care are at risk.
There are steps that may be taken to address concerns about the health and safety of children in a challenging public school program environment, including the following:
As a first step, a BECR warning letter may be issued to call attention to the violations. The warning letter may also be used to inform the school district who oversees the program of the seriousness of the violations.
As an alternative, the licensing manager/licensing supervisor may decide to schedule an in-person or telephone conference between the school district representative for the public school program, the public school program director, the licensing specialist and the licensing manager/licensing supervisor. During the conference, the licensing manager/licensing supervisor can discuss the seriousness of the uncorrected and/or repeat violations and emphasize that the public school program must address the violations or Wisconsin Shares eligibility could be in jeopardy.
A follow-up visit may be made to the public school program, in which the licensing manager/licensing supervisor accompanies the licensing specialist to review the program and the uncorrected violations, to bring needed attention to the seriousness of the situation.
This page last updated 10/2020.