Criminal Background Check Requirements
Indiana law requires criminal background checks for child care staff members who work in regulated child care settings. These requirements help ensure the safety and well-being of children while meeting both state and federal requirements.
Background check requirements apply to child care providers operating as:
- Licensed Child Care Centers
- Licensed Child Care Homes
- Unlicensed Registered Ministries
- Legally Licensed Exempt (LLE) Child Care Centers
- Legally Licensed Exempt (LLE) Child Care Homes
- In-Home (Nanny) Providers
A child care staff member includes prospective employees, current employees, contract employees, self-employed individuals, volunteers, and any individual whose responsibilities include caring for or supervising children or who has unsupervised access to children. For licensed family child care homes, background check requirements also apply to the caregiver and all household members age 18 or older.
Provisional Status for New Employees
Prospective child care employees who have received provisional status from OECOSL may begin working at a regulated child care program while the remaining required background check components are being completed.
During provisional status:
- The prospective employee must remain under direct visual supervision at all times.
- Direct supervision must be provided by a child care employee or volunteer who has received a qualified background check result from the Division within the past three (3) years.
- Provisional status ends once all required background check components have been completed.
Required Background Check Components
A complete criminal background check includes:
- Federal fingerprint-based criminal history check
- Indiana fingerprint-based criminal history check, including applicable juvenile criminal history
- Indiana Child Protection Index (child abuse and neglect)
- Indiana Sex Offender Registry
Additional out-of-state checks may be required for individuals who have lived outside Indiana during the applicable review period.
Background Check Renewal Requirements
Fingerprint-Based Criminal Background Check
- A fingerprint-based criminal background check must be completed every three (3) years.
- A new fingerprint-based background check is also required if an individual has not been employed by an Indiana child care provider for more than 180 consecutive days.
Annual Registry Checks
The following checks must be completed annually:
- Indiana Child Protection Index (CPI)
- Indiana Sex Offender Registry (SOR)
Required Consent Form
All child care staff members must complete and submit State Form 53323 – Consent to Release Information for:
- Licensed Child Care Centers
- Licensed Child Care Homes
- Unlicensed Registered Ministries
- CCDF Legally Licensed Exempt Providers
Call to Action: Download Release Form
Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting is required for new criminal background checks and required renewals. Follow the instructions below to schedule an appointment and complete fingerprinting through Indiana’s authorized vendor.
Call to Action: View Fingerprinting Instructions
Eligibility Determinations
After all required background check components have been completed, the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) will issue an eligibility determination.
Child care providers receive notification indicating whether an individual is eligible or ineligible to work in a regulated child care program. Individuals who are determined to be ineligible will receive additional information regarding the basis for the determination and their opportunity to challenge the completeness or accuracy of the record.
Call to Action: View List of Disqualifying Crimes
Challenging a Background Check Determination
Individuals who are determined to be ineligible may challenge the completeness or accuracy of the information contained in their background check.
Please note that individuals determined to be ineligible are not eligible to work in a regulated child care program while the challenge process is pending.
Call to Action: View the Background Check Challenge Process
Out-of-State Background Check Requests
State child care licensing agencies requesting background check information for individuals who previously resided in Indiana should contact the OECOSL Background Check Unit at outofstatechecks@fssa.in.gov for state-specific instructions. OECOSL does not charge a fee for these requests.
Indiana provides the following information when applicable:
- Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History
- Indiana Sex Offender Registry
- Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Check
Please note that Indiana is not a National Fingerprint File (NFF) state and is not a National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact state.