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Background Check Requirements

Criminal Background Check Requirements

COVID-19 update for background check requirements

The state of Indiana requires a criminal background check be conducted on all child care staff members (including prospective staff members) who is employed by a child care providers, which includes licensed homes, licensed centers, unlicensed registered ministries, legally licensed exempt homes, legally licensed exempt centers and in-home (nanny care) providers. Background check requirements apply to any staff member who is employed by a child care provider for compensation, including contract employees, volunteers and self-employed individuals; whose activities involve the care or supervision of children; or who has unsupervised access to children. For family child care homes, this requirement includes the caregiver and any other adults residing in the family child care home who are age 18 or older.

A criminal background check includes the following:

  • Federal and Indiana state fingerprint databases
  • Indiana state sex offender registry
  • Child Protection Index – child abuse and neglect

Criminal background check every three years

A criminal background check must be completed every three years. If an applicant has not been employed in child care within the last 180 days, a new criminal background check must be completed.

Fingerprint instructions

Indiana state sex offender registry and Child Protection Index

A Indiana state sex offender registry check and Child Protection Index check must be completed yearly.

Click here to see a list of the disqualifying crimes

All child care staff members must submit to the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning State Form 53323 – Consent to Release Information for Licensed Centers, Licensed Homes, Unlicensed Registered Ministries and CCDF LLEP’s

The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning must notify the disqualified child care staff member that they may challenge the completeness or accuracy of the record. Please note, a disqualified child care staff member is not eligible to work at the child care during the challenge process. Click here for the background check challenge process.

Instructions to obtain an out-of-state background check for previous occupants of Indiana

State child care licensing agencies seeking a name only background check for national criminal history, sexual offenders registry or the Indiana child abuse and neglect system on previous occupants of Indiana must:

Out-of-state background checks for previous occupants of Indiana:

Please contact the OECOSL Background Check Unit via email at outofstatechecks@fssa.in.gov to obtain instructions for your state on how to request background checks from Indiana.

The Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) does not charge any fees for background checks. The following background checks are completed: (1) Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History, (2) Sex Offender, and (3) Child Abuse and Neglect. Please note, Indiana is not a national fingerprint file or national crime prevention and privacy compact state.