Licensing Files: What to Look For

Licensing early care and education facilities are required to post their licensing and any citations (negative consequences) they have received along with administrative actions taken. Records of complaints not resulting in citations are available only through the licensing office.

Before enrolling your child in any licensing early care and education facility or home, it is recommended that you review the provider’s licensing records. The provider information listed below is available for inspection by contacting your local licensing office. Some licensing offices will provide information by telephone; others require you to come to the office to inspect the records. 

Application (annual) givers:
Name of owner
Name of operator
Board of Directors, as applicable
Location, capacity, ages served, services provided

Early Care And Education Inspection Checklist (health and safety issues)
Centers minimum 3 per year
Family Early care and education Homes minimum 2 per year

Fire Inspection (minimum 1 per year)

Environmental Health Checklist
Centers 2-4 per year
Family Early care and education Homes, varies by county
Includes food services

Complaints And Investigation Findings
If any complaints are present be sure to note not only the number of complaints and finding (outcome of complaints investigation), but also the nature of the complaint(s) and whether or not the issue(s) are of importance to you.

Background Screening
Background screening information will not be in the provider file. If a provider is licensed, it implies that they have met screening requirements.

Provider File

Citations Or Administrative Actions
 
NOTE: If you are uncertain or concerned about any information found in a provider’s file, please ask the licensing office staff for assistance.
 
* Information provided by the Department of Children and Families, Licensing Office 7/96
 
Background Screening Requirements For Early Care And Education Personnel    
 
All early care and education personnel including owner/operators, employees, and volunteers must undergo security background screening investigations. Each person must also be of good moral character to work with children as determined through screening and background checks as outlined below. All early care and education personnel unemployed for more than 90 days must be re-screened.
 
Owners/Operators
  • Affidavit of Good Moral Character, signed and notarized, at time of initial application and every 5 years thereafter
  • Employment history check for the past two years, at time of initial application only
  • Florida Abuse Hotline checked during initial application and annually thereafter
  • Fingerprinting
  • Local and state (FDLE) criminal and juvenile records check during initial application and every five years thereafter
  • Federal criminal records check (FBI) during initial application only
 
Early Care And Education Personnel
  • Affidavit of Good Moral Character, signed and notarized, at time of initial application and every 5 years thereafter
  • Employment history check for the past two years, at time of initial application
  • Fingerprinting
  • Local and state (FDLE) criminal and juvenile records check during initial application and every five years thereafter
  • Federal criminal records check (FBI) during initial application only
 
Volunteers
  • Volunteers who work 40 hours or more per month must be screened in the same manner as early care and education personnel, which include initial statewide criminal records check in place of fingerprinting.
  • Volunteers who work less than 40 hours a month are exempt from screening provided they are under direct and constant supervision of screened early care and education personnel.
 
Large & Small Family Early Care And Education Homes
(Requirements for household residents and substitutes)  
  • Must meet owner/operators requirements stated above.
  • All persons over the age 12 residing in a family early care and education home must also be screened.
  • Persons 12-18 are not required to be fingerprinted, but must be screened for delinquency records.
  • Screening is not required for persons under age 12.
  • Persons providing substitute care must meet Operators requirements. 
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