Ohio child care staff file checklist

1. Start with the role and first day

Create a record for each employee and identify whether they are a child care staff member, administrator, substitute, or hold another role. Rules can depend on the work performed. Do not give every person an identical list without checking the applicable conditions.

• Record the dates that drive the work. Keep the first day of employment, role changes, and any administrator appointment date distinct. Use the applicable event when calculating a deadline.
• Check employment and education evidence. Review the Ohio Professional Registry (OPR) employment record and the education or qualification evidence required for the role. Ohio’s employee rule addresses employment registration and required education documentation by the first day, and OPR employment changes within ten business days.
• Review orientation status. Child care staff members must complete orientation within thirty days of starting employment unless qualifying completion after December 31, 2016 is documented. Staff must not be left alone with children until the requirement is satisfied. Record the completion evidence and any restriction that remains.

Official sources: Rule 5180:2-12-07; Rule 5180:2-12-08

2. Verify the background-check decision

A fingerprint appointment or receipt does not establish the final background-check result. Review the DCY decision or applicable OPR record, and connect it to the correct person. Keep a pending check visibly separate from a completed, eligible result.

• Identify preliminary versus final approval. Preliminary approval comes with supervision conditions. Do not interpret it as permission to work alone. Verify the applicable conditions in the background-check rule.
• Use the right renewal anchor. The rule provides for renewed checks every five years from the latest BCI check and includes conditions for transfers and other situations. Record the source date and review those conditions before carrying evidence forward.

Official source: Rule 5180:2-12-09

3. Organize required health records

Ohio’s current employee rule includes a signed and dated tuberculosis screening self-attestation before the first day of employment, plus MMR and Tdap immunization or permitted exemption documentation within thirty days. Use the rule’s specific criteria to determine whether additional tuberculosis testing applies.

Store the evidence with appropriate access restrictions. Track whether the documentation has been reviewed without putting health details into general task titles, shared checklists, or an unnecessarily broad packet. If a record raises a medical question, obtain the appropriate professional guidance rather than making a diagnosis from the file.

Official source: Rule 5180:2-12-08

4. Separate training deadlines from coverage

An employee’s training deadline and the center’s coverage obligations are different checks. Organize first aid, CPR, child-abuse recognition, communicable-disease training, and professional development according to the applicable rule, role, and accepted training evidence.

• Inspect the evidence. Check the person’s name, course, completion date, expiration where applicable, and whether the training meets the rule. Keep a booked class separate from a completed course.
• Check each building and schedule. Review required trained coverage during operating hours, including while new employees are within a permitted training period.
• Track professional development separately. Review the July-to-June professional development period and its exceptions. Do not automatically count required health and safety training toward professional development hours.

Official source: Rule 5180:2-12-10

5. Close the loop on missing evidence

Assign an owner and next action to each missing, expired, or unclear record. When an employee uploads a document, review it before marking the item complete. Recheck the staff roster after hiring, departures, role changes, or new evidence so your checklist continues to describe the people actually working in the center.