Missouri Childcare Background Check Requirements (2026)

Missouri childcare licensing requires the following pre-employment screening for staff: Comprehensive background check required for each child care staff member (and individuals counted in ratios) — completed/renewed every 5 years per RSMo 210.1080.

Missouri childcare licensing requires the following pre-employment screening for staff: Fingerprint-based state and FBI criminal history check (Missouri State Highway Patrol and FBI).

Missouri childcare licensing requires the following pre-employment screening for staff: Family Care Safety Registry (FCSR) screening — includes the Central Registry for Child Abuse/Neglect plus additional Missouri databases (administered by DHSS/MSHP).

Missouri childcare licensing requires the following pre-employment screening for staff: Sex offender registry check.

Missouri childcare licensing requires the following pre-employment screening for staff: The provider shall request the results of a criminal background check before a staff member's employment/presence; pending completion, the prospective staff member must be supervised at all times by a staff member with a qualifying result (RSMo 210.1080; provider request duty at 5 CSR 25-500.102(1)(M)). NOTE: the draft's '10-day' abuse-screening claim cited to 19 CSR 30-62.102(2)(K) could not be confirmed — current 5 CSR 25-500.102(1)(K) is a 7-day facility-orientation requirement, not a background-screening deadline..

Missouri childcare licensing requires the following pre-employment screening for staff: DESE Office of Childhood eligibility determination submitted via the Comprehensive Background Check Notification form (MO 500-3299) to OCBackgroundChecks@dese.mo.gov per RSMo 210.1080.

What background checks does Missouri require for childcare staff?

Missouri requires the following screenings: Comprehensive background check required for each child care staff member (and individuals counted in ratios) — completed/renewed every 5 years per RSMo 210.1080; Fingerprint-based state and FBI criminal history check (Missouri State Highway Patrol and FBI); Family Care Safety Registry (FCSR) screening — includes the Central Registry for Child Abuse/Neglect plus additional Missouri databases (administered by DHSS/MSHP); Sex offender registry check; The provider shall request the results of a criminal background check before a staff member's employment/presence; pending completion, the prospective staff member must be supervised at all times by a staff member with a qualifying result (RSMo 210.1080; provider request duty at 5 CSR 25-500.102(1)(M)). NOTE: the draft's '10-day' abuse-screening claim cited to 19 CSR 30-62.102(2)(K) could not be confirmed — current 5 CSR 25-500.102(1)(K) is a 7-day facility-orientation requirement, not a background-screening deadline.; DESE Office of Childhood eligibility determination submitted via the Comprehensive Background Check Notification form (MO 500-3299) to OCBackgroundChecks@dese.mo.gov per RSMo 210.1080.

Do background checks need to be repeated in Missouri?

Many states require periodic re-screening (often every 5 years) in addition to the initial check. Confirm the current Missouri re-screening interval with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Childhood — Section for Child Care Regulation/Compliance (licensing of Group Child Care Homes and Child Care Centers under 5 CSR 25-500). Licensing authority and rulemaking transferred from the Dept. of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) to the DESE Office of Childhood in 2021; the licensing rules were formally MOVED from 19 CSR 30-62 to 5 CSR 25-500 (Title 5, Division 25, Chapter 500) and the old 19 CSR 30-62 sections now read 'Moved to 5 CSR 25-500.XXX'. DHSS retains the day care immunization rule (19 CSR 20-28.040) and the Family Care Safety Registry..

Who must be screened at a Missouri center?

Any staff member, substitute, or volunteer with unsupervised access to children must clear the required Missouri screenings before working with children.