Background Checks

A child care background check is a both a fingerprint-based and name-based check that will cover the following:

1. Michigan State Police (MSP) Fingerprint-based check of criminal history.
2. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint-based check of criminal history.
3. National Crime Information Center's check of the National Sex Offender Registry (NCIC/NSOR).
4. Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry (PSOR).
5. Michigan Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry Database check.
6. Review of the department's database for previous disciplinary action.

If a person lived outside of Michigan within the past 5 years, the following checks will also be conducted for each state or country the person has lived in during the past 5 years:

1. State(s) Criminal History Check for any Non-National Fingerprint File (NFF) State.
2. State(s) Child Abuse and Neglect Registry Check. National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW).

For questions specifically related to a background check, how to complete a background check, or how to use the background check system go to Michigan.gov/CCBC. There you will find a CCBC Child Care Provider PowerPoint which is a tutorial on how to access and use the CCBC System. Additionally, you may contact the Child Care Background Check Unit at 844-765-2247.

For information on how to become a licensed child care provider, licensing rules or other Child Care Licensing Bureau, questions call 517-284-9730 or go to Michigan.gov/MIChildCare.

A child care background check costs $64.25 if the person has not lived outside of Michigan in the past 5 years. The department does not charge for the processing of child care fingerprints.

Note: If a person has lived outside of Michigan within the past 5 years, additional out of state background checks are required. Instructions will be sent to the applicant related to any additional forms and fees that must be submitted.

A person will be found ineligible if they:

• Are registered, or required to be registered, on a state sex offender registry or repository or the national sex offender registry.
• Are on a Child Abuse and Neglect Registry as a perpetrator.
• Have been convicted of a felony consisting of 1 or more of the following or any other state or federal equivalent:
  • Murder or Homicide
  • Child abuse or child neglect
  • Crime involving rape or sexual assault
  • Crime against a minor child, including, but not limited to, child pornography
  • Kidnapping
  • Arson
  • Spousal abuse or domestic violence
  • Physical assault or battery Human trafficking or involuntary servitude
• Have been convicted of a violent misdemeanor against a child, including but not limited to, 1 or more of the following crimes:
  • Child abuse
  • Child endangerment
  • Sexual assault
  • Misdemeanor involving child pornography
• Have been convicted of a felony, an attempt or conspiracy to commit a felony or any other state or federal equivalent, unless 10 years have lapsed since the conviction:
  • harm or threatened harm to an individual use of a firearm
  • dangerous weapon cruelty or torture of any person
  • substantial misrepresentation of any material fact, bribery, fraud, larceny, embezzlement, theft, home invasion, breaking and enter, receiving and concealing stolen property, or a crime of similar statute
  • cruelty to animals, including, but not limited to fighting, killing, torturing, and abandoning
  • operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated or impaired causing serious injury or death
  • use of a computer or internet to commit a crime
  • aggravated stalking, aggravated indecent exposure, indecent export by a sexually delinquent person, pandering, transporting an individual for prostitution, keeping, maintaining a house of ill fame
  • habitual offender
• Have been convicted of a felony drug offense, an attempt or conspiracy to commit a felony drug offense, or any other state or federal equivalent, unless 7 years have lapsed since the conviction.
• Have been convicted of any of the following misdemeanors, an attempt or conspiracy to commit any of those misdemeanors, or any other state or federal equivalent unless 5 years have lapsed since the conviction:
  • operating under the presence of a controlled substance, use or possession of a controlled substance, and selling or furnishing a controlled substance to a minor
  • using computers to commit a crime, a substantial misrepresentation of a material fact, embezzlement, breaking and entering, and any other fraudulent crime except retail fraud in the third degree, petty theft, or shoplifting involving stalking, assault spousal abuse, domestic violence, weapons offense, harboring runaways, aiding and abetting, and arson

Step 1: The child care licensee is responsible for providing all applicants (licensee, licensee designee, adult member of household, child care staff member, unsupervised volunteer) under their license with a Consent and Disclosure form. This form can also be found at Michigan.gov/CCBC on the Forms page.

Step 2: The applicant must accurately complete the Consent and Disclosure form and return it to the licensee. A copy of the applicant’s Consent and Disclosure form shall be provided to the applicant so that they are aware of their rights and responsibilities. Refusing to consent to the background check or knowingly making a materially false statement in connection with a background check must result in a finding of ineligible (CFR 98.43).

Step 3: A copy of the Consent and Disclosure form must be retained by the licensee and made available to the department upon request.

Step 4: The licensee and/or appointed representative (Primary User of the background check account) will enter the applicant’s information into the Child Care Background Check (CCBC) System accurately. Please verify that all information is entered correctly.

Step 5: The applicant will either be scheduled for fingerprinting by the licensee or may be allowed to self-schedule.

Step 6. Print the Fingerprint Request form which is generated in the system and provide it to the applicant. They must take this form to their fingerprinting appointment.

Step 7: The applicant will go to the state contracted fingerprint vendor (with their Fingerprint Request Form) to be fingerprinted. A valid form of government identification with a photo must be presented at time of fingerprinting. Examples include, but are not limited to a valid Driver’s License, State Identification Card, Permanent Resident Card, or Passport.

Step 8: Once the applicant has been fingerprinted, the fingerprint vendor will send the prints to the Michigan State Police (MSP) for processing, and the fingerprints are then forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Once the FBI returns the results to MSP, the NCIC NSOR search will be processed by MSP and submitted along with the criminal history record. The timeframe for turn around can be as quickly as the same day, or a few weeks. Reasons for delays may be due to an individual having poor quality prints.

Step 9: Once the fingerprint results are received by the CCBC system, the criminal history checks for MSP, FBI and the NCIC NSOR will be reviewed and analyzed for any exclusionary offenses. Then the Disciplinary Action Registry, Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry and Michigan Child Abuse/Neglect Registry will be reviewed for any disqualifying registry check(s).

Step 10: If a person has not lived outside of Michigan during the past 5 years, they will then be found Eligible, or Ineligible based upon the registry and criminal history checks.

If the person has lived outside of Michigan during the past 5 years, they will be emailed an Additional Information Letter. This letter gives specific instructions for submitting all forms and fees required to complete the out of state background checks. A person who does not submit all required forms and fees will be found Ineligible. A person who completes all required information will be reviewed by the department and be found Eligible, or Ineligible.

Step 11: Once an applicant has been determined Eligible or Ineligible, a final decision must be made in the CCBC System to Connect or Disconnect the applicant.

Child care background checks are completed on the following individuals:

1. Applicant for a Child Care License/Licensee (Family, Group and Center)
2. Adult Household Member (Family and Group Only)
3. Licensee Designee (Center Only)
4. Program Director (Center Only)
5. Child Care Staff Member, including a contract employee or a self-employed individual. (Family, Group and Center)
6. Volunteer with Unsupervised Access to children in care (Family, Group and Center)