Iowa Department of Human Services

Provider Record Checks for Child Care

Those persons employed, residing in a licensed child care center, child development home, or non-registered child care home that receives child care assistance funding must complete required background checks.

Click Out of State Requests for State Agencies Seeking Child Abuse Information in Iowa - Child Care for additional information for State Agencies or those contracted with the State Agency to provide this service requesting registry checks of child care providers.    

Who needs background checks?

  • A person who is being considered for licensure or registration
  • A  person is being considered for employment and will have direct responsibility for a child or access to a child when alone
  • A person who will reside in a child care facility or non-registered child care home that receives or has applied to receive public funding to provide child care
  • A person who has applied for or receives public funding for providing child care

What Background Checks are completed?

  • Criminal and child abuse record checks in Iowa every 2 years
  • Iowa Sex Offender Registry and Dependent Adult Abuse records are also reviewed every 2 years
  • National fingerprint background check every 4 years

What if a person has a record?

  • If a person has a transgression, a record check evaluation must be completed.
  • A transgression is any of the following:
    • Conviction of a crime
    • Record of founded child or dependent adult abuse
    • Is on the sex offender registry
    • Has committed a public or civil offense
    • The person has had a revocation of a child care registration or license as a result of continued or repeated failure to operate in compliance

What is an evaluation?

  • In an evaluation, the Department must consider:
    • The type and seriousness of the transgression
    • Time passed since the transgression
    • The circumstances under which the transgression was committed
    • The degree of rehabilitation
    • The likelihood that the person will commit the transgression again
    • The number of transgressions committed by the person involved.

Who is not allowed to be involved in child care?

  • Any person that has a record of founded child or dependent adult abuse that was determined to be sexual abuse
  • Any person required to be listed on any state or the national sex offender registry
  • Has committed the following felony offenses:
    • Child endangerment or neglect or abandonment of a dependent person’
    • Domestic abuse
    • A crime against a child including but not limited to sexual exploitation of a minor
    • A forcible felony
    • Arson
  • Has a record of a misdemeanor conviction against a child under the following offenses: 
    • Child abuse
    • Child endangerment
    • Sexual assault
    • Child pornography
  • Any person subject to a record check refuses to content to a record check.
  • If a person convicted of a crime makes what the person knows to be a false statement of fact in connection to a conviction.
  • The following have a 5 year prohibition:
    • Convicted of a controlled substance offense
    • Found to have committed physical abuse
  • The department has the authority to determine if a person shall be prohibited from child care through completing an evaluation.  If a person is prohibited, they may not be involved unless a new record check is completed and they are approved.