Comprehensive Background Checks for Group Child Care Programs - NYC Health

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Animal Facilities

Beaches

Camps

Child Care

Restaurants, Mobile Food Vending

Mental Health Licensed Programs (NYS OMH)

Violations and Summonses

Pools, Spas and Spray Grounds

Smoking: Exemptions, Registration and Hookah

Drinking Water

Cooling Towers

Radiological Equipment (X-Rays) and Materials

Other Permits and Registrations


Background Checks for Group Child Care Programs

Federal law requires all staff and volunteers who work in a child care program to undergo a comprehensive background check (CBC) every five years. This includes all current staff, volunteers, new staff and any staff with a break in service of more than 180 days. The NYC Health Department conducts these checks for Group Child Care programs.

Programs must:

Designate a program liaison to coordinate and review the requests and documents for completion and accuracy before they are submitted to the Health Department. The liaison can use this CBC Liaison Checklist (PDF) to assist them in their role.

Submit background check requests and other required documents online at the CBC Request Portal

Steps to Submit a Background Check Request

Give the forms below to person receiving the background check. Ask them to complete, sign where required, and return to the program:

Applicant (Staff/Volunteer) Instructions (PDF)

Fillable SCR Form (PDF)

Authorization and Affirmation Form (PDF)

Applicant Worksheet (PDF)

Programs can use this worksheet to gather information for each staff or volunteer that needs CBC clearance. Do not this submit it to the Health Department.

If a person has received clearance for a background check but wants to work at another location, they will require a waiver, and the hiring program must complete the online background check request to redo the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) form for each additional work site.

Fingerprinting: Direct staff person or volunteer to get fingerprinted and give the fingerprint receipt to the program.

Submit the background check request: After reviewing all documents for accuracy and completion, the child care program accesses the CBC Request Portal, completes the online form using the Applicant Worksheet, then uploads the documents. You must include the program's Online Clearance System number. If your program does not have an Online Clearance System account, or the original account cannot be accessed, contact your borough office (PDF) for assistance.

The following forms must be submitted:

Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) form (LDSS3370) — completed and signed

Authorization and Affirmation form — completed and signed

Fingerprint receipt

Comprehensive Background Check Request

Fingerprinting for Child Care Staff

Fingerprints are taken at IDEMIA IdentoGO Centers. You can schedule an appointment at any location that lists “State Agency Enrollment” under “Available Services.”

IDEMIA charges a fee for their fingerprinting services.

This fee is in addition to any required government search fees. Pay all fees in a single payment at the time of fingerprinting.

The total cost is $102.50. The fee may be higher for locations outside of NYS.

Payment can be made by credit card, debit card, business check or a No Charge Authorization Code (NCAC) account established with IDEMIA.

Providers can pay the fingerprinting charge for their employee.

The Department cannot process a CBC application if the applicant has not paid for fingerprinting. We will not receive results.

Staff making fingerprint appointments must enter the child care program DCID number in the Provider ID field. You must provide this number to the applicant

IDEMIA will also take a photograph of the employee.

The applicant will receive two receipts from IdentoGo.

The service code for NYC Health Department Child Care service provider fingerprinting through the NYC Department of Investigation is 157XX3 for programs that are not contracted with the NYC Public Schools (NYCPS).

NYC Public Schools will provide staff of contracted programs with their service code.

If you also operate home-based or school-age child care, do not to use a code from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services code for fingerprinting for a Group Child Care program.

The NYC Health Department will check these registries:

FBI and NYS Criminal History Check

Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment

NYS Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs

NYS Sex Offender Registry

National Crime and Information Center: National Sex Offender Registry Check

After Background Check Request Submission

While you wait for the results of the background check, note the following:

New staff or volunteers can work while waiting for the background checks to be completed if they work under line-of-sight supervision by a fully cleared staff person. If a person is new to a program but has a current CBC clearance within the past 5 years and no break in service for more than 180 days, they can work at the new location without line-of-sight supervision.

After a request for a background check is submitted using the online form, you will receive an email confirmation with a copy of the submitted background check request form and an application number. Retain this email for your records.

For staff or volunteers who lived outside New York State at any time in the last five years, the background check will also include a check of those state or U.S. territory registries. This may take additional time. You will also be notified of the result of the checks.

Background Check Results

Once the background checks are completed, you will receive an email with the determination. Make sure your program contact email address is current and notify your borough office if the email address changes. Keep the determination letter on file. It must be made available to the Health Department upon request.

Once a person successfully completes the background, they do not need to be fingerprinted again to work in another child care program. However, they will require a waiver, and the hiring program must complete the online background check request form to redo the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) form for each additional work site. Staff and volunteers must have an SCR and Staff Exclusion List (SEL) redone for each location. If there is any break in service that lasts more than 180 days, background checks need to be redone, including new fingerprinting.

Challenging a Decision

A person can challenge a decision that excludes them from working at a child care program due to a criminal history. If a person is not granted clearance and has a record that does not include an automatic disqualifying crime, they can appeal the decision. The individual will be informed of this right and the appeal process in the decision letter.

Conditional Approval

Conditional approval is granted for individuals who have lived or worked outside of New York State within the last five years if their federal and New York State clearance requirements have been conducted, but the out-of-state clearances are pending. Programs will be notified by email when out-of-state clearance checks are complete. Staff who receive conditional approval can continue to work at their current program under line-of-sight supervision by fully cleared staff.

Multi-Site Providers: Process to Move Staff Work Locations

If you provide child care at multiple sites and want to move a fully cleared staff person from one site to another, follow these steps:

For fully cleared assistant teachers and substitute teachers:

At the time the assistant or substitute teacher submits their initial CBC, be sure they list each DCID (program ID) on the application.

If the assistant or substitute teacher has already submitted their CBC application and did not list every DCID, they can submit a new application listing all additional locations.

The Health Department will issue an eligibility letter for every DCID location submitted on the application.

The fully CBC cleared assistant or substitute teacher can move to any site listed on their eligibility letter without notifying the Health Department.

For fully cleared Group Teachers and Education Directors

Before moving a fully cleared Group Teacher or Education Director, submit a new CBC application.

As soon as the request form is submitted, the Group Teacher or Education Director can be relocated.

The Department will repeat the check of the State Central Registry and Staff Exclusion List.

Be sure to notify your Early Childhood Educational Consultant about the change of Education Directors.

Note: This does not apply if the staff person has had a break in service for more than 180 days. In that case the staff person needs to repeat the CBC, including new fingerprinting, and the rules for new staff apply.

Hiring Staff Who Have a Valid Background Check with a Previous Employer

If you hire a new staff member who already has a valid comprehensive background check with a previous employer, the process is easier. Follow these steps:

Submit a CBC application for the new staff member.

The new employee does not need to re-do their fingerprints.

Submit a new State Central Registry Clearance form and payment.

As soon as the new CBC application form is submitted, an Assistant, Substitute or Group Teacher can begin to work under line-of-sight supervision of a fully CBC-cleared teacher.

The Health Department will process the application, and once completed successfully, will send an eligibility letter to allow the staff to work independently.

Note: If the staff person has had a break in service for more than 180 days, the staff person needs to repeat the comprehensive background check process, including new fingerprinting, and the rules for new staff apply.

More Information

For questions about using the online background check request form and the background check process, contact CBCTechHelp@health.nyc.gov.