Tennessee Daycare Background Check Requirements

Background checks are the part of the Tennessee daycare licensing process that trips up the most applicants — not because they fail the screening, but because they did not realize who needed to be screened or how long it takes.

Who Must Be Screened

Tennessee requires fingerprint-based screening for every person with unsupervised access to children at a licensed daycare. That includes:

• The owner/operator
• All educators and assistants
• Volunteers with unsupervised access
• Substitutes who work more than 36 hours in a calendar year
• Every household resident aged 15 or older — this is the one people miss

That last category catches most family child care home applicants off guard. If your 17-year-old lives in the home, they need a completed screening before your license can be issued. If your spouse works from home, they need one too.

Screening must occur no more than 90 days before the individual gains access to the childcare agency, and must be repeated every five years.

The Five-Source Verification

Tennessee's screening runs through IdentoGo (operated by IDEMIA) and checks five databases:

1. FBI National Fingerprint File — national criminal records
2. National Crime Information Center (NCIC) — the National Sex Offender Registry
3. TBI In-State Criminal Repository — Tennessee criminal history based on fingerprints
4. Tennessee Sexual Offender Registry — state-level sex offender check
5. State Child Abuse and Neglect Registry — the DCS TFACTS database, accessed through Form CS-0741

If anyone being screened has lived outside Tennessee in the past five years, out-of-state registry checks must be run in every previous state of residence.

What Disqualifies You

Certain offenses are permanent, non-waivable bars:

• Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect of a child
• Crimes of violence — aggravated assault, domestic assault, robbery, stalking, voluntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment
• Arson, animal cruelty, indecent exposure, weapons offenses
• Any drug-related offense including manufacture, sale, distribution, or possession
• Listing on the Vulnerable Persons Registry, State or National Sex Offender Registry, or substantiation as a perpetrator in the DCS database

There is a narrow exception: if a DCS abuse substantiation is for a non-severe allegation, is older than 10 years, and does not involve severe child physical or sexual abuse, the individual can request a review through the DCS Due Process Procedures Division using Form CS-0921.

Costs and Fee Coverage

IdentoGo fingerprinting costs $32.65 to $48 per person depending on the registration role. TDHS covers the cost of one background check per person per agency per year — but only for individuals registered under an active pre-licensure application. If a fingerprint sample is rejected or a second submission is needed within 30 days, the agency pays.

The 180-Day Transfer Rule

A background check can transfer to a new agency if the fingerprints were captured within the last five years and the individual was employed at a licensed Tennessee child care agency with no break in service exceeding 180 consecutive days. This saves time and money when hiring staff who previously worked at another licensed facility.

Processing Timeline

Standard processing takes 3 to 10 business days. Out-of-state registry checks add time — potentially 2 to 4 weeks depending on the responding state's turnaround.

The fastest way to avoid delays: schedule IdentoGo appointments for every household member and planned employee as soon as you register for TDHS Orientation. The background checks can process in parallel with your training, so they are cleared by the time you reach the inspection phase.

The Tennessee Home Daycare Licensing Guide includes a background check tracker that lists every person who needs screening, tracks their IdentoGo appointment dates, and flags the 90-day and 5-year renewal windows.

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