Among the requirements, the potential provider must have an F.B.I. background check. Officials also come in and physically check the home for fire safety, etc. In addition, the state of Minnesota requires a caregiver to become registered or licensed to operate any child care business. While requirements do vary from state to state, remember, the mere fact that a provider is registered with the state does not automatically guarantee that your child will receive quality care. Unfortunately, registration, licensing, or certification is not always a guarantee that the provider has no past history of abuse or misconduct.
Many states only check for convictions of felonies and child abuse within THAT state.
In other words, a provider could have been convicted of child abuse in five different states over the past six years and still become registered, because the licensing agency only checks within the state. For one reason or another there was no court conviction. Hopefully some day a nationwide check will be made before any state grants certification or registration. As stated earlier, in many states there are specific circumstances under which a provider may run their child care business legally without being registered, certified, or licensed. In such states, there are many excellent providers who are not registered.