July 26, 2022

Dear Child Care Providers,

As you were informed in an email sent from OCCL on March 4, 2022 and in the Comprehensive Background Check letter included in license renewal packets, comprehensive background checks must be repeated every five years.

As a reminder, beginning January 1, 2023, the Office of Child Care Licensing will ensure compliance with the federal Child Care Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act (CCDBG), and DELACARE Regulations to require comprehensive background checks be conducted every five years for employees, volunteers, substitutes, family and large family child care providers, adult household members, and other persons with regular direct access to children at a child-serving entity.

The comprehensive background check includes:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and State Bureau of Identification (SBI) fingerprint checks.
• A search of the National Crime Information Center’s National Sex Offender Registry.
• A search of the following registries, repositories, or databases in the state where the child care person resides, and in each state in which they resided during the past five years:

(a). State criminal and sex offender registry or repository; and

(b). State-based child abuse and neglect registry and database.

To ensure compliance with this requirement, child care providers must check the date on the SBI fingerprinting Receipt/Verification. In addition, if the child care person currently resides, or has resided outside of Delaware in the past five years, child care providers must also check the date(s) of completion on the required out-of-state check(s).  Any piece of the comprehensive background check that is five years old must be completed again before the expiration of the current check.

It is essential that child care providers check the expiration date on all pieces of the comprehensive background check applicable to the child care person.  A new check(s) must be received and reviewed by the Criminal History Unit before the expiration of the existing check to ensure the child care person remains eligible to work or be active with the child-serving entity.

The Office of Child Care Licensing

Department of Education

Susan Lang

Administrative Secretary I

Office of Child Care Licensing

The Concord- Hagley Building

3411 Silverside Rd.

Wilmington, DE 19810

302-892-5800

Greetings Child Care providers,

In order to provide you with continuing technical assistance, this is a reminder of the steps needed to complete the comprehensive background check process.  These steps must be taken:

1. The person is fingerprinted for child care by the State Bureau of Identification:
2. If the person has lived out-of-state (OOS) in the past 5 years, the person contacts each state of residence and requests a name-based criminal history search and a child abuse and neglect search.
3. If the person currently lives OOS, the person contacts the state of residence and completes a fingerprinted criminal history search and a child abuse and neglect search.
4. Here is the link to provide to the person seeking the OOS checks.  Interstate Child Care Background Check Contact List (hhs.gov) [childcareta.acf.hhs.gov]
5. The results of the OOS checks must be sent to the Criminal History Unit (CHU).
6. A person cannot be alone with children until CHU sends an email stating the person is eligible.
7. If the OOS checks are not completed within 15 days of being notified by CHU that OOS checks are required, you must provide proof of the efforts taken to obtain the checks to your licensing specialist.
8. If the OOS checks are not completed and proof of efforts are not received, the person cannot be present.
9. If a person has not completed the process within 45 days of fingerprinting and there are no extenuating circumstances, the person cannot be present until all checks are completed and the person is determined eligible.

If you have any questions, please contact your licensing specialist.

The Office of Child Care Licensing

Department of Education