Criminal Records Check
Free Background Checks Since October 1, 2018
DECAL will continue to pay the cost of fingerprinting for child care employees for the foreseeable future unless funding becomes no longer available. To obtain your background check determination letter for childcare employment please follow the criminal records check livescan instructions at the bottom of this page. Please note that your current letter may be portable to other child care centers for one year after you fingerprint which will save time and allow DECAL to continue paying this cost for as long as possible.
DECAL BACKGROUND CHECK NEWS
Every person working at a child care learning center, family child care learning home, or license-exempt program receiving CAPS funding must have a satisfactory background check determination in accordance with DECAL’s policies and procedures before they may work or reside at the location or be present with unsupervised access to children in care. See the DECAL Rules and Regulations for Child Care Learning Centers or Rules and Regulations for Family Child Care Learning Homes for complete information about who needs a background check.
Every employee must have a satisfactory fingerprint-based background check determination letter in their employer’s DECAL KOALA account. Employees who are waiting for out-of-state records but have already fingerprinted will receive a satisfactory National Records Check Determination Letter and may work under the direct and continuous supervision of a director or employee with a satisfactory Comprehensive Records Check Determination as stated in the National Records Check Determination Letter.
A new comprehensive background check is required every five years or after the first year if seeking to work at a different child care location or for anyone who has had a lapse of employment in the child care industry for six months or longer. Background check letters less than one year old may be electronically ported into a different facility’s DECAL KOALA account without the need for a new background check. (Students-in-Training are considered “employed in the child care industry” if they have been enrolled in a child care related program of study.)
Child care employers may no longer accept paper copies of background check clearance letters from prospective employees. Letters will only be accepted at a facility if they are “ported” electronically through the employer’s DECAL KOALA account.
See the Documents Tab and Videos Tab below for background check instructions and training.
Questions? Contact CRC@decal.ga.gov or call 1-855-884-7444.
Out of State Contacts
Click here to see instructions for individuals that lived outside of Georgia within the last five years.
Providers
Click here
to submit an online records check application in DECAL KOALA for your facility.
Note: If you have not activated your account or have forgotten your password,
click here
for help.
Potential Employees
Click here
to submit an online records check application for facility approval.
Support Centers
Click here
to submit an online records check application in DECAL KOALA for your Support Center.
If you would like additional information on Support Centers
click here.
Note: If you have not activated your account or have forgotten your password,
click here
for help.
Additional Information