A pre-employment background screening is important for any hiring process. However, in the childcare industry, it is a more critical tool than ever. As a daycare owner or hiring manager, it is your responsibility to ensure that any adult who works or lives in a family child care home, is a safe, qualified caretaker for the children within your programs.
The background check process for a child care provider requires experience and diligence beyond a basic resume verification check. At Barada Associates, we provide a comprehensive background check service for child care employees. Our services, from drug and alcohol screening to academic verification, can help maintain the safety of kids in your child care program, as well as the success and reputation of your child care center or facility.
Call Barada Associates today or read on to learn more about our child care background checks.
Do Daycares Run Background Checks on New Child Care Providers?
Not only do most child care centers run background checks on new hires – it’s often a legal requirement.
When it comes to requiring background checks for daycare workers, each state differs slightly in terms of the requirements. However, federal law requires all providers of child care to have a background check on file. This applies to licensed, license-exempt, regulated, and registered child care providers, as well as unlicensed ministries, homes, and centers that are receiving Child Care and Development Fund payments.
Each state does differ in terms of how often daycare workers must have a background check performed. In the state of Indiana, for example, child care workers must have a criminal background check performed at least once every three years. Additionally, they must have a national sex offender registry check performed annually to ensure that the safety of the children in their care remains intact.
Why are Background Checks for Day Care Workers Important?
Thousands of businesses utilize background checks to make sure that they know their job candidates as best they can. They need to know that they can trust the person to fully tell them the truth about their past and the experiences that have come with it.
The importance of a background check is magnified significantly when it comes to adults seeking employment where they’ll constantly be around and be responsible for the well-being of young children. While a pre-employment child care background check is a federal, and occasionally state or local, legal requirement, it is also beneficial to your child care program or organization.
If child care workers on your payroll are not properly screened and given unsupervised access to children, and an incident occurs, your business is at stake.
Additionally, it is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard the children in our communities. States must continue to require, at the very least, a criminal court check on anyone seeking employment as a staff member of any privately run daycare business that receives state funds, regardless of whether it’s operated by a church or is privately owned.
We must continue to pass laws that protect our children. When daycares are required to perform background checks on their employees, we ensure that our children aren’t around adults who have a history of crimes against children or other potentially harmful attributes.
What Do Daycares Need to Know Before Running a Background Check on Workers?
Before running background checks on employees, daycares need to be aware of several important considerations to ensure compliance with legal regulations and ethical standards. Here are some key points:
Legal Compliance
Daycares must comply with all relevant federal, state, and local laws regarding background checks. These laws may vary depending on the jurisdiction. They can include regulations related to the types of checks permitted, the information that can be considered, and how the information is used.
Consent
In some areas, you will need to obtain written consent from employees and job applicants before conducting background checks. This consent should be obtained in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Types of Checks
Determine the types of background checks necessary for the positions being filled. This may include criminal background checks, employment verification, education verification, reference checks, or drug testing for daycare workers.
Barada Associates helps facilitate the following tailored background screening solutions for daycare workers:
- Criminal Background Checks: Check criminal records at both the state and federal levels. This helps ensure individuals with a history of violent crimes or offenses against children are not hired for child care positions.
- Sex Offender Registry Checks: Determine whether your jurisdiction permits checking the sex offender registry as part of the background screening process for childcare workers.
- Education and Certification Verification: Verify the educational qualifications and any required certifications for the position. This helps ensure that employees have the necessary training and qualifications to work in child care.
- Reference Checks: Contact previous employers or other references provided by the applicant to verify employment history and obtain insights into the applicant’s character and work ethic.
The range and amount of background checks you run will be unique to your business and the position. Our experts can help determine what comprehensive background check package is best for you!
Confidentiality and Data Security
Ensure all information obtained through background checks is kept confidential and stored securely to protect the privacy of the applicants. Additionally, if using a third-party background screening company, ensure compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which regulates the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer information, including background checks.
You also want to be sure to implement policies and procedures to ensure that all background checks are conducted in a non-discriminatory manner and that hiring decisions are based on job-related factors.
Periodic Rechecks
Background screening is not a one-and-done process. You can and should conduct routine checks even once new employees are hired. Consider implementing policies for periodic rechecks of employees to ensure ongoing eligibility to work in child care positions.
By following these guidelines, daycares can conduct background checks effectively and responsibly to help ensure the safety and well-being of the children in their care.
What Should a Background Check for Daycare Workers Include?
A comprehensive background check for daycare workers should include various record searches to ensure the safety and well-being of the children under their care. Here are the typical components:
- National Criminal Databases: These databases contain records from across the country and can help identify any criminal history that may exist, even in other states.
- County Criminal Courts: Checking county criminal records is essential as they provide detailed information about any criminal offenses committed within a specific jurisdiction.
- Federal Criminal Background Records: This includes checking federal criminal databases to uncover any federal offenses an individual may have committed.
- State Criminal Background Records: In addition to county and federal records, it’s important to check state criminal background records to ensure comprehensive coverage.
- Sex Offender Registries: Screening against sex offender registries helps identify individuals who have been convicted of sex-related crimes or offenses against children.
- Domestic and Global Terrorist Watch Lists: While less common for daycare worker background checks, screening against terrorist watch lists can provide additional security measures, especially in high-risk areas.
In addition to these components, other checks may be included based on specific requirements or regulations in the jurisdiction. Daycare centers need to work with reputable background screening companies, such as Barada Associates, as we specialize in thorough and accurate checks while also ensuring compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.
Effectiveness of Background Checks for Child Care Workers
When you utilize a background check, not only are you verifying the information that the applicant has given you, but you’re also seeing if they have any prior convictions to worry about.
Some convictions, for example, should prohibit adults from ever working in an environment where kids are present. When a daycare uses background checks on their applicants, they verify that no applicants are slipping through the cracks in any way.
Before the introduction of the federal law requiring daycares to obtain background checks on their employees, there were many incidents. Across every state, child abuse in licensed child care centers was prevalent. From 2009 to 2014, there were 31 deaths of small children across a range of different daycares in Indiana alone.
We can’t be sure how many children have been saved through the use of a background check. However, it’s vital that going forward, daycares continue to require criminal background checks on anyone hoping to be employed at a child care facility.
Contact Barada for Background Checking Services
A criminal background check from Barada is a great way to make sure that all of your candidates are who they say they are and don’t have a lengthy criminal record. The use of any type of background check will ensure that your future employees are not hiding any information from you that could harm your organization or the children under your care.
A childcare provider background check will also show additional information and help expedite your hiring process. Background checks can go a long way in keeping our children safe from people with negative intentions.
To protect the children in your child care facility, contact Barada Associates as soon as possible.