Rules by state
Child care background check requirements by state
The background checks staff and others need before working in licensed childcare, in every state and DC. Checked October 2026 against each state's official rules.
51
jurisdictions covered, with official sources
Alabama
All licensed child care staff, and volunteers with unsupervised access to children, need an FBI fingerprint check, a National Sex Offender Registry (NCIC) check, a state fingerprint criminal history check, the state sex offender registry, and the Alabama child abuse/neglect central registry, plus the same registry checks in any state lived in during the past 5 years. Checks are done before hire and at least every 5 years (and again if the person has been out of child care for more than 180 days); staff can't count toward ratio until checks are complete. Alabama's camp sanitation permit rules do not set a separate background check requirement for camps.
Licensing agency: Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), Child Care Services Division, Office of Child Care Licensing
Alaska
Everyone 16 or older who works, volunteers unsupervised, lives in or regularly has contact with children at a licensed facility needs a state background check, including fingerprints for a state and FBI criminal history check plus the Alaska sex offender/child kidnapper registry and other state registries; child protection records may also be reviewed. The check must be done before the person starts (a 90-day provisional clearance is possible), names stay flagged for ongoing monitoring, and the fingerprint check is good for five years if the person stays continuously associated with a provider (a break of 100 days or more voids it). Exempt accredited day camps must still do fingerprint-based checks to the same standard.
Licensing agency: Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Assistance, Child Care Program Office (in Anchorage: Anchorage Health Department, Child Care Licensing)
Arizona
All child care staff and volunteers must have a valid DPS Level One fingerprint clearance card (state and FBI criminal history, with ongoing rap-back updates) before starting work, and sign a disclosure form on criminal history and child abuse findings (A.R.S. §36-883.02). Licensees must also submit staff for a Department of Child Safety central registry (child abuse and neglect) check and make good-faith efforts to contact previous employers. Exempt accredited day camps must still require fingerprint clearance cards; the overnight children's camp law has no background check rule of its own.
Licensing agency: Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of Child Care Licensing
Arkansas
Owners, staff, and volunteers or others with routine contact with children need an Arkansas Child Maltreatment Central Registry check before starting and every 2 years, plus an Arkansas State Police fingerprint check (including the state sex offender registry) and an FBI fingerprint check before starting and every 5 years; a National Sex Offender Registry check is also run, and anyone who lived in another state in the past 5 years is checked there too. New staff can start only after a satisfactory state police result and must be supervised by fully cleared staff until all checks are back.
Licensing agency: Arkansas Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Child Care Licensing Unit
California
Licensed child care staff, and most volunteers, need a criminal record clearance from both the California DOJ and the FBI (Live Scan fingerprints) plus a Child Abuse Central Index check before they work or are present in the facility; DOJ then sends CDSS any later arrests or child abuse reports. A clearance stays active while the person is linked to a licensed facility and lapses after 3 years without one. At organized camps, the director and all counselors need a satisfactory California DOJ criminal history check or a National Sex Offender Public Registry check, plus a voluntary disclosure statement, before any unsupervised contact with campers (17 CCR §30751).
Licensing agency: California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Community Care Licensing Division, Child Care Licensing Program
Colorado
Staff who care for or have unsupervised access to children need a CBI and FBI fingerprint check, a National Sex Offender Registry check, a Colorado child abuse and neglect (Trails) check, and criminal, sex offender and abuse registry checks in any other state lived in during the past five years, completed before working alone with children (someone with a cleared CBI or FBI check may work up to 90 days under supervision while the rest finish). FBI and Trails checks are renewed every five years. Resident camps and school-age centers may use out-of-state staff hired for less than 90 days without fingerprints or Trails checks if they sign a no-convictions statement, references are checked, and they are supervised at all times by fully cleared staff.
Licensing agency: Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Division of Early Learning, Licensing, and Administration
Connecticut
Child care staff who care for children or have unsupervised access to them need a comprehensive background check: a state criminal history check and an FBI fingerprint check, the CT DCF child abuse registry, sex offender registries, and the criminal, abuse and sex offender registries of any state they lived in during the past 5 years. New hires cannot start work until the conditions of federal rule 45 CFR 98.43(d)(4) are met, and the check is repeated at least every 5 years (CGS §19a-80(c), §10-530(b); Regs. §19a-79-4a(b)-(c)). Youth camps have their own rule: staff aged 18 and older in care roles need a state criminal check (or a search of the Judicial Branch conviction database), the DCF registry, the CT sex offender registry and the national sex offender website, or else a fingerprint check through an OEC-listed provider. New hires may work only under supervision until the check is complete, and the check is repeated every 5 years (CGS §19a-421(b)-(d)).
Licensing agency: Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Division of Licensing
Delaware
Before starting work, center staff must be fingerprinted by Delaware State Police for state (SBI) and FBI checks. The center must also have an eligibility or provisional eligibility notice from the DSCYF Criminal History Unit. The full check also covers sex offender and child abuse registries, plus criminal and child abuse checks in every state the person lived in during the past 5 years. Staff are supervised and may not be alone with children until found eligible. Centers must also check the Delaware adult abuse registry. All parts are repeated every 5 years (933 §3.0, §28.3-28.4). Licensed youth camps have the same fingerprint, out-of-state and adult abuse registry requirements for adult staff (938 §22.3-22.4).
Licensing agency: Delaware Department of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL)
District of Columbia
Licensed facilities must request an OSSE background check before a person starts work and at least every 3 years after that (5-A DCMR §133.3). The check covers an FBI fingerprint check, the national sex offender registry, and the criminal, sex offender and child abuse and neglect registries for DC and every state lived in during the past 5 years (§132.2). Staff are also subject to a drug and alcohol testing program, and drivers need a traffic records check. A new hire may start once the request is submitted, but only under constant supervision by someone with a qualifying check (§133.5). License-exempt camps have no OSSE background check rule. Programs run by or under contract with the DC government must run FBI and police criminal checks under DC Code §4-1501.01 et seq.
Licensing agency: Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance
Florida
All child care personnel need Level 2 screening under chapter 435, F.S. This means FDLE and FBI fingerprint checks, plus employment history checks, sex offender registries, and child abuse and neglect registries for every state lived in during the past 5 years. If DCF cannot finish within 3 business days, a new hire gets 45-day provisional status and must be directly supervised by screened staff (s. 402.305(2)(a)). Re-screening is every 5 years (Child Care Facility Handbook). Summer camp owners, staff and most volunteers (including those under 18) also need Level 2 screening through the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. Per DCF, that screening must be done within 60 days before starting and repeated each year unless certain conditions are met. Starting July 1, 2026, private youth sports organizations must run Level 2 screening on every coach (s. 943.0438, F.S.).
Georgia
Every director and employee must have a satisfactory DECAL Comprehensive Records Check Determination before being at the center while children are present. That check combines an FBI fingerprint check with sex offender registries and the criminal, sex offender and child abuse and neglect registries of every state lived in during the past 5 years. Provisional employees may start with a satisfactory fingerprint check if supervised at all times. Rechecks are required at least every 5 years, after a 180-day gap in child care work, or after an arrest (591-1-1-.09; O.C.G.A. §20-1A-30 et seq.). Exempt camps and programs must meet these rules only if they receive CAPS subsidy funding (591-1-1-.46(1)(a)8).
Licensing agency: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), Child Care Services
Hawaii
Everyone in a licensed or registered child care facility must consent to DHS background checks before working on site, and again every year by the anniversary of their last consent. The checks are an FBI fingerprint check, a fingerprint-based state criminal check, state and national sex offender registries, the child abuse and neglect registry, the adult abuse perpetrator registry, and employment history (HAR §17-801-4; §17-892.2-3(d)). The rules also apply to 'exempt child care facilities', but how that reaches license-exempt camps is not confirmed. We found no separate camp background check law.
Licensing agency: Hawaii Department of Human Services (DHS), Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division, Child Care Licensing
Idaho
Owners, operators, staff, and anyone 13 or older who has unsupervised contact with children or is regularly on the premises must clear an IDHW enhanced background check: fingerprint-based state and FBI criminal history plus child protection registry checks in every state lived in during the past 5 years. Checks must be renewed at least every 5 years, and 13- to 17-year-olds also need juvenile justice record checks (Idaho Code §39-1105; IDAPA 16.06.03.009; IDAPA 16.05.06). Camps that are exempt from daycare licensing are not covered by these rules, and we found no separate camp check law.
Licensing agency: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW), Daycare Licensing
Illinois
Licensed child care staff, volunteers, and others with access to children need fingerprint-based Illinois State Police and FBI criminal history checks, checks of Illinois' child abuse and neglect tracking system (CANTS) and other states' child protection registries, and the Illinois and national sex offender registries; authorizations are filed at hiring and at each license renewal (89 Ill. Adm. Code 385.20, 385.40). DCFS still processes these checks for IDEC until about July 1, 2027. We found no background check rule for IDPH-licensed youth camps, but license-exempt school-age programs must run the same ISP/FBI, sex offender registry, and CANTS checks (225 ILCS 10/2.09(j)).
Licensing agency: Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC), Child Care Licensing (took over from DCFS on July 1, 2026)
Indiana
Child care staff and volunteers in licensed centers and homes, registered ministries, and exempt providers that take vouchers need a federal and an Indiana fingerprint-based criminal history check (including juvenile history), plus checks of the Indiana Child Protection Index and the Indiana Sex Offender Registry, and out-of-state checks if they lived elsewhere. The fingerprint check is redone every 3 years (or after more than 180 days out of Indiana child care work), and the registry checks every year. Indiana's youth camp rule (410 IAC 6-7.2) has no background check requirement.
Licensing agency: Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL)
Iowa
Owners, directors, staff, volunteers, and subcontractors with direct responsibility for children or access to a child alone, plus household members 14 and older, need Iowa criminal history, child abuse, and sex offender registry checks before starting, repeated at least every 2 years, and a national FBI fingerprint check repeated every 4 years (441 IAC 109.6(4)). Because Iowa has no camp licensing law, there is no separate camp check requirement.
Licensing agency: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS), Child Care Licensing
Kansas
Applicants, licensees, center employees, volunteers counted in the ratio, and anyone with unsupervised access to children need fingerprint-based Kansas Bureau of Investigation and FBI checks covering every state lived in during the past 5 years; others regularly in the facility need name-based KBI and Kansas DCF checks. Checks are submitted with each initial and renewal license application and before anyone starts, and people on child abuse and neglect or sex offender registries are barred (K.A.R. 28-4-125; K.S.A. 75-7719). Licensed school-age programs and summer camps follow the same process (K.A.R. 28-4-584).
Licensing agency: Kansas Office of Early Childhood (KOEC), Child Care Licensing (took over from KDHE on July 1, 2026)
Kentucky
Child care staff (owners, directors, employees present while children are in care, adult household members in home-based programs, and anyone with supervisory control or unsupervised contact) must clear checks before starting: Kentucky's child abuse and neglect central registry, the Kentucky and national sex offender registries, and a fingerprint-based Kentucky State Police and FBI check with rap back. Checks are repeated at least once every 5 years and after a break of 180 days or more from Kentucky child care work (922 KAR 2:280). Youth camp staff, contractors, and volunteers need a Cabinet child abuse and neglect records check (or a 922 KAR 2:280 check or a state and national criminal check) before working at camp (902 KAR 10:040, Section 14).
Licensing agency: Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS): Office of Inspector General, Division of Regulated Child Care (licensing and inspections), with rules set by the Department for Community Based Services, Division of Child Care
Louisiana
Every owner, staff member, volunteer and most visitors and contractors at a licensed early learning center need an LDOE eligibility determination (CCCBC) before being present with children: fingerprint-based Louisiana and FBI criminal history, the Louisiana child abuse and neglect central registry, state and national sex offender registries, and registry checks in every state lived in during the past five years. A new determination is required at least once every five years. New hires may work provisionally only after a fingerprint result is back and only while monitored. Camps exempt from licensing have no state check requirement found.
Licensing agency: Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), Licensing Division, under rules adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE Bulletin 137)
Maine
Licensed child care providers must get a comprehensive check for the owner and every staff member or other person with care duties or unsupervised access to children: FBI fingerprint check, national sex offender registry, and state criminal, sex offender and child abuse and neglect registry checks for the current state and every state lived in during the past five years. Staff cannot start until OCFS issues a letter of eligibility, and checks are repeated at least every five years (10-148 CMR Ch. 34). Licensed youth camps must run a background check on all staff, counselors, volunteers and directors every year (national sex offender registry, state criminal and sex offender records, SSN and 5-year address trace), and registered sex offenders may not work there (10-144 CMR Ch. 208, §11(B)-(C)).
Licensing agency: Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS), Children's Licensing and Investigation
Maryland
Child care center staff need a comprehensive check at least every five years: Maryland fingerprint criminal check, FBI fingerprint check, Maryland and national sex offender registries, the Maryland child abuse and neglect registry, and the same registries in any state lived in during the past five years; Maryland also uses fingerprint rap-back alerts (MSDE). Certain convictions bar employment outright (COMAR 13A.16.06.03). Youth camps must have a Maryland and FBI criminal history check and a Child Protective Services clearance on file for everyone in a position with access to campers, including volunteers, plus a checked personnel administrator before the camp opens (COMAR 10.16.06.21).
Licensing agency: Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Division of Early Childhood, Office of Child Care, Licensing Branch
Massachusetts
All employees and interns of licensed group and school age programs, plus volunteers and others with unsupervised access to children, need an EEC Background Record Check: Massachusetts CORI, DCF child abuse/neglect findings, state sex offender registry (SORI), national sex offender registry, a fingerprint-based state and FBI check, and out-of-state checks for places lived in the past five years; it is renewed every 3 years (606 CMR 14.05; EEC). Recreational camps must get a CORI and state sex offender registry check for all staff and volunteers before they start (repeated at least every 3 years for continuously employed staff), plus out-of-state checks where practicable for non-residents (105 CMR 430.090).
Licensing agency: Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)
Michigan
Licensees, program directors, child care staff and unsupervised volunteers at licensed centers must pass a state comprehensive background check, including FBI fingerprints, before having unsupervised contact with children, and new staff awaiting results must always be supervised (R 400.8201; MCL 722.115n, 722.115q). Supervised volunteers need a sex offender registry check. Licensed camps must keep, before a staff member starts, a criminal history record from the Michigan State Police (or home-state equivalent), three references, and, for staff 21 and older, proof they are not a substantiated child abuse or neglect perpetrator (R 400.11109).
Licensing agency: Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), Child Care Licensing Bureau
Minnesota
Child care center staff and others with direct contact need a state background study that includes fingerprints for a national (FBI) criminal check, Minnesota criminal and predatory offender records, Minnesota maltreatment records, the national sex offender registry, and criminal, sex offender and child abuse registries in every state lived in during the past five years; the study must be repeated within five years (Minn. Stat. §§245C.04, 245C.08). No background check requirement was found in the state youth camp rules (Minn. R. ch. 4630).
Licensing agency: Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), Licensing Division
Mississippi
All operators, employees and prospective employees of a licensed child care facility need a comprehensive fingerprint-based check before starting work. It covers the FBI and Mississippi criminal history, the state child abuse registry, the national and state sex offender registries, and other states when applicable. Staff can't start until MSDH issues a Letter of Suitability. The check is repeated every five years, and again after a break in service of more than 180 days. Volunteers who work 120 or more hours a year need the same check (Rule 1.5.2). The MSDH youth camp regulations do not include their own background check requirement.
Licensing agency: Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), Child Care Facilities Licensure Branch
Missouri
Before working, child care staff must have a qualifying result on a check that includes an FBI fingerprint check, the national sex offender registry, and the criminal, sex offender and child abuse/neglect registries (including the Family Care Safety Registry) for Missouri and every state lived in during the past five years. New staff may start on a temporary eligibility notice if they are supervised at all times. Checks are repeated every five years (5 CSR 25-600.010 and .020; RSMo 210.1080). We found no separate state requirement for exempt camps.
Licensing agency: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Childhood, Child Care Compliance and Regulation
Montana
Directors, owners, teachers, substitutes, trainees, support staff, volunteers with unsupervised contact and adults living in the facility need satisfactory checks before working (ARM 37.96.1002). The checks are a Montana DOJ/FBI fingerprint check, the national (NCIC) and Montana sex offender registries, child protective services checks, and name-based criminal checks for Montana and every state lived in during the past five years. State checks are repeated every year and national checks every five years. We found no separate background check rule for youth camps.
Licensing agency: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Early Childhood and Family Support Division, Child Care Licensing Program
Nebraska
Under the center rules, the licensee, every staff member and volunteer aged 19 or older (and household members if the center is in a home) need a criminal history check before employment, through the Nebraska State Patrol or local law enforcement. Everyone must also clear the Nebraska child abuse/neglect central register (age 13 and older), the adult protective services registry (18 and older) and the State Patrol sex offender registry before caring for children (391 NAC 3-006.03). The recreation camp rules contain no background check requirement.
Licensing agency: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit (Child Care Licensing)
Nevada
Every employee, and every resident or volunteer aged 18 or older (other than a parent of an enrolled child), must be fingerprinted within 24 hours of being hired or first being present, and again every five years. The state reviews criminal history and any substantiated child abuse or neglect reports (NAC 432A.200). New hires are entered in the Nevada Automated Background System (NABS). We found no state background check rule specific to camps.
Licensing agency: Nevada Division of Social Services (DSS), Child Care Licensing (CCL)
New Hampshire
Child care staff, substitutes, other employees, volunteers who may be alone with children or count in ratios, and household members 18 and older need a background check before starting and every five years (He-C 4002.40; RSA 170-E:7). The check covers NH criminal records, the NH abuse/neglect registry, the NH sex offender registry, an FBI fingerprint check, the national sex offender registry, and other states lived in during the past five years. Staff can't be with children until CCLU confirms eligibility, apart from supervised presence after clean fingerprint results. Youth recreation camp staff need criminal checks in every state they have lived in, a national sex offender registry check, an NH central registry check if they lived in NH in the past seven years, and references (He-C 4003.17).
Licensing agency: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Child Care Licensing Unit (CCLU)
New Jersey
Licensed centers: the sponsor and every staff member working on a regular schedule must consent to a Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) check, resubmitted with each license renewal, and the sponsor and staff 18 and older must complete a fingerprint-based criminal history (CHRI) check through the State Police and FBI. New staff must start both within two weeks of hire and cannot be left alone with children until results arrive (N.J.A.C. 3A:52-4.10, 4.11). Youth camps have their own rule (N.J.A.C. 8:25-3.2): adult staff with unsupervised access need a 50-state name-based criminal check (resident camps also need an FBI fingerprint check), all staff need an annual sex offender registry check, and full checks repeat every five years, with the first deadline June 15, 2026.
Licensing agency: New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF), Office of Licensing
New Mexico
All staff, volunteers and anyone with unsupervised access to children in licensed centers and OST programs need a comprehensive check: fingerprint-based state and FBI criminal history, state and national sex offender registries, New Mexico abuse and neglect records, plus criminal, sex offender and abuse/neglect checks in any state lived in during the past five years. A person may not start until cleared or issued a notice of provisional employment, and must be directly supervised until cleared. Checks repeat at least every five years (8.9.6 NMAC; 8.9.4.21 and 8.9.4.40 NMAC). No separate camp requirement was found.
Licensing agency: New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD), Child Care Services Bureau, Regulatory Oversight Unit
New York
Prospective child care employees, directors, operators and volunteers with potential unsupervised contact need state (DCJS) and FBI fingerprint checks, a Statewide Central Register (child abuse) database check, New York and national sex offender registry searches, and criminal, sex offender and child abuse registry checks for any other state lived in during the past five years. Clearances must be repeated at least every five years (Social Services Law §390-b). Children's camps: camp directors undergo background checks and operators must check staff and volunteers against the New York State and national sex offender registries.
North Carolina
Every child care provider (and household members 16 and older in home-based care) needs a DCDEE criminal background check qualification letter before starting work. The check covers federal and NC fingerprint databases, national and NC sex offender registries, an NC court records name check, the Responsible Individuals List, the Child Maltreatment Registry, and criminal, sex offender and abuse/neglect checks in any state lived in during the past five years. Letters are valid five years and must be renewed (G.S. 110-90.2; 10A NCAC 09 .2703). Unlicensed summer camps have no state background check requirement that we found.
Licensing agency: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE)
North Dakota
Owners, staff, and volunteers or support staff who may be alone with children need a check approved before any unsupervised access: an FBI fingerprint check, national and state sex offender registry searches, state criminal history, ND child abuse and neglect records, and criminal, sex offender and abuse/neglect checks in any state lived in during the past five years. Center owners and staff must submit a fingerprint-based check at hire and at least every five years (N.D. Admin. Code 75-03-10-27, 75-03-10-28; N.D.C.C. 50-11.1-06.2). No camp-specific requirement was found.
Licensing agency: North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Early Childhood Licensing
Ohio
Center owners, administrators, employees and child care staff submit a request in the Ohio Professional Registry and get BCI and FBI fingerprints; DCY then reviews five checks: BCI, FBI, national sex offender registry, Ohio sex offender registry, and Ohio child abuse and neglect records (SACWIS). Checks must be redone every five years, after a six-month gap in child care work, or when joining a new program (new fingerprints not needed then). Registered day camps must run BCI and FBI checks before staff start and the camp administrator reviews results; approved day camps go through the full five-part DCY review.
Licensing agency: Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY)
Oklahoma
Owners, staff, and adults living in the facility need an OKDHS criminal history review before hire or unsupervised access: Oklahoma court records search, fingerprint-based national (FBI) check, sex offender registry, the Restricted Registry (Joshua's List), child abuse and neglect registries for any state lived in during the past 5 years, out-of-state criminal and sex offender checks when applicable, and two state caregiver abuse registries (10 O.S. §404.1; OAC 340:110-3-282). The review (without new fingerprints) is repeated every 5 years. Camps that are exempt from licensing are not covered by these licensing checks.
Licensing agency: Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS), Child Care Services – Licensing
Oregon
The operator, all center staff, and anyone 18 or older who may have unsupervised access to children must be enrolled in DELC's Central Background Registry (CBR) before working (OAR 414-305-0310). The CBR check covers Oregon State Police records, ODHS child protective services records, an FBI fingerprint check and sex offender registries, plus out-of-state checks for anyone who lived elsewhere in the past 5 years; enrollment expires every 5 years (OAR 414-061-0090). Recorded (license-exempt) school-age and preschool programs must also enroll staff and volunteers 18 and older. No separate background check rule for organizational camps was found.
Licensing agency: Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), Child Care Licensing Division
Pennsylvania
Under the Child Protective Services Law, employees of child care and of any program, activity or service where they are responsible for children need three clearances: PA child abuse history, PA State Police criminal record, and an FBI fingerprint check, renewed every 60 months. Certified child care staff and volunteers also need a National Sex Offender Registry check and out-of-state checks if they lived outside PA in the past 5 years. Adult volunteers in youth programs need the child abuse and State Police clearances; the FBI check is needed only if they haven't lived in PA for the full past 10 years (otherwise a signed statement). Provisional hiring for up to 45 days is allowed under set conditions.
Licensing agency: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Bureau of Certification Services
Rhode Island
Every employee and volunteer working directly with children must complete a DHS comprehensive background check before starting and every 5 years: state and national criminal and sex offender registry checks (fingerprints for adults), a DCYF child abuse and neglect clearance, and out-of-state checks if the person lived outside Rhode Island in the past 5 years. Staff and volunteers under 18 need only the child abuse and neglect registry check (218-RICR-70-00-1 §§1.6, 1.12(A)).
Licensing agency: Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Child Care Licensing
South Carolina
Before working in a licensed, approved or registered facility, caregivers and staff need a SLED state fingerprint check, an FBI fingerprint check, a DSS Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect check, and national (NCIC) and state sex offender registry searches, plus criminal, sex offender and child abuse registry checks in every state lived in during the past 5 years (S.C. Code §63-13-40(D)). Fingerprint checks are repeated every 5 years, or sooner if the person leaves child care for 6 months or more. Provisional hiring is allowed under strict supervision once the first checks clear.
Licensing agency: South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS), Division of Early Care and Education – Child Care Licensing
South Dakota
All child care providers and program employees 14 and older must meet federal background check requirements, repeated at least every 5 years (ARSD 67:42:17:13). In-state checks: South Dakota criminal records (fingerprints), state sex offender registry, the DSS child abuse and neglect central registry, NCIC, and an FBI fingerprint check; out-of-state criminal, sex offender and child abuse registry checks are required for each state lived in during the past 5 years. DSS pays the fees. No camp-specific requirement was found.
Licensing agency: South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS), Office of Licensing and Accreditation – Child Care Licensing
Tennessee
Owners, operators, directors, employees, substitutes counted in ratio who work more than 36 hours a year, and household members 15 or older need a fingerprint-based criminal background check and a registry review no more than 90 days before they have access to the agency. The registry review covers the Vulnerable Persons Registry, the sex offender registry, and Department of Children's Services abuse/neglect records. Checks must be repeated at least every 5 years and after a break in child care employment of more than 180 days. No one may have unsupervised contact with children until cleared (Rule 1240-04-01-.07; T.C.A. §71-3-507). We did not find a separate state background check requirement for youth camps.
Licensing agency: Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), Child Care Services
Texas
In licensed child care, staff and others who need a check must have a criminal history check (fingerprint-based for most staff), a check of the DFPS central registry of child abuse and neglect, a SEMARC check (misconduct findings held by HHSC's Employee Misconduct Registry, TEA, and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department), and, for child day-care operations, a National Sex Offender Registry check. People who lived outside Texas in the past 5 years also need out-of-state criminal, abuse/neglect registry, and sex offender registry checks. Fingerprint-based checks must be renewed at least every 5 years (26 TAC §§745.609-745.621). Licensed youth camps must run a criminal background check and a sex offender registry check on every adult staff member and adult volunteer before they have unsupervised contact with campers, and repeat both checks every year (25 TAC §265.12(f)).
Licensing agency: Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), Child Care Regulation
Utah
Before a new staff member or other covered individual starts, the provider must confirm their eligibility in the licensing provider portal. Anyone not already cleared submits an online application and fingerprints (age 16 and older) for a check by the DHHS Office of Background Processing. The check covers criminal history, the Utah and national sex offender registries, and supported child abuse/neglect findings in the state Licensing Information System (LIS). A new check is required if the person has been away from a licensed program for more than 180 days, has lived outside Utah since the last check, or turns 18. Providers and staff must report any new arrest, charge, or finding within 48 hours (R381-100-8). License-exempt programs, except school-run ones, must also submit these checks (R430-8-5).
Licensing agency: Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Background Checks (DLBC), Office of Licensing - Child Care
Vermont
Before working with children, new staff, auxiliary staff, and others regularly present must submit a Records Check Authorization form to the Division. Staff and the licensee's representative must also be fingerprinted. No one may be left alone with children until the Division approves them based on a check that includes fingerprints. People on a sex offender registry, people with substantiated child abuse/neglect reports, and people with certain convictions are barred (CBCCPP 7.2). Staff must repeat the records check at least every 5 years (CBCCPP 2.3.9.3). We found no background check requirement in the Health Department's children's camp rule.
Licensing agency: Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Child Development Division (CDD), Child Care Licensing
Virginia
All employees and volunteers at licensed child day centers, and at centers exempt under the religious exemption, must have a background check before starting and every 5 years after. The check includes a sworn disclosure, fingerprint-based state and FBI criminal history, a search of Virginia's child abuse and neglect central registry, and criminal, sex offender, and abuse registry checks in any state lived in during the past 5 years. People with a barrier crime or a founded abuse/neglect complaint may not work or volunteer. A new hire may start under supervision once their fingerprint check comes back clear, while other results are pending (Code of Virginia §22.1-289.035). Exempt out-of-school-time programs affiliated with national organizations must also run these checks (§22.1-289.030(B)(11)).
Licensing agency: Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), child care licensing under State Board of Education regulations
Washington
Licensed providers, staff, volunteers, and family-home household members must pass a DCYF background check before having unsupervised access to children, and repeat it at least every 3 years (WAC 110-06-0040; WAC 110-300-0105). The check includes fingerprints, an interstate check for every state lived in during the past 5 years, and disclosure of convictions, pending charges, and 'negative actions' such as founded child abuse or neglect findings. Fingerprints must be redone at renewal only if the person has lived outside Washington since the last check. We found no state background check requirement for seasonal camps, which are excluded from licensing.
Licensing agency: Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)
West Virginia
Licensed centers must have a state and FBI fingerprint-based check run through WV CARES on every staff member and volunteer, and no one may work with children until WV CARES issues a fitness determination; staff stay enrolled in Rap Back for ongoing alerts. Centers must also check sex offender registries and child abuse and neglect registries in West Virginia and in every state lived in during the past 5 years, repeating the abuse registry search every 5 years (78 CSR 1 §8.4). There is no separate camp rule, but out-of-school-time and county parks and recreation or municipal camp programs claiming the §49-2-113(e)(8) exemption must run state and federal checks on all staff and volunteers.
Licensing agency: West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), Bureau for Family Assistance, Early Care and Education (child care licensing)
Wisconsin
Every caregiver, non-caregiver employee and household member (age 10 and up) at a licensed center or DCF-licensed day camp needs a DCF child care background check before starting: Wisconsin criminal history, an FBI fingerprint check, national and Wisconsin sex offender registries, Wisconsin abuse and neglect findings and caregiver misconduct registry, and criminal, sex offender and child abuse registries in any state lived in during the past 5 years. Fingerprints must be redone every 5 years (Wis. Stat. 48.686; DCF 13). DATCP-licensed overnight camps must have applicants disclose sexual criminal history and consent to a check, review the national sex offender public registry before hiring, and adopt a policy barring people with listed offenses (ATCP 78.26(1)).
Licensing agency: Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Division of Early Care and Education, Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Wyoming
Before working, owners, directors, staff, substitutes, volunteers present during operating hours, and household members 18 and older need a Central Registry (child abuse and neglect) check in Wyoming and every state lived in for the past 5 years, national and state sex offender registry checks, an FBI fingerprint check, and state criminal history checks (Ch. 11 §3(g)). The Central Registry and Wyoming sex offender checks repeat every year, and the FBI, state criminal and national sex offender checks repeat every 5 years. No state background check requirement for youth camps was found.
Licensing agency: Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS), Child Care Licensing
- These summaries cover licensed childcare. Camps and license-exempt programs can have different rules; each state page covers camps too.
- Rules often set who needs a check (staff, volunteers, household members), which checks (state and FBI fingerprints, sex offender registry, child abuse and neglect registry) and how often they're renewed.
- General information, not legal advice. Confirm with your state's licensing agency.
Compare
Other rules by state
FAQ
Common questions
Do volunteers need background checks?
It depends on the state and on whether the volunteer is alone with children. Check your state's summary below and its official rules.
Do camp staff need background checks?
It depends on the state and the type of camp. Each state page covers camp rules alongside childcare.