New Legislation Calls For Comprehensive Background Checks for Child-Care Providers
A recent article in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports that the U.S. Senate is calling for new employment screening legislation in the child-care industry. The bill calls for comprehensive background examinations for anyone who regularly works as a child-care provider for pay. The background check would include FBI fingerprint checks, criminal histories, abuse and neglect registries, and sex offender registry checks. This new federal bill would require these checks be completed whenever someone is hired and every five years thereafter.
The aim of this new legislation is to standardize background requirements around the country. Currently only 10 states require background checks for providers, Wisconsin not being one of them. This past June the states $350 million-a-year subsidized child care program was exposed with widespread fraud and other problems. It’s easy to see why employment screenings are so crucial. Not only does it allow for fraud but it also potentially puts children in harms way.
“In the interest of children’s protection, it seems that we would want the most comprehensive background checks available,” says U.S. Senator Herb Kohl.
For the complete article click here.
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