DCYF Office of Inspector General child care visits

The Office of Inspector General at the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families monitors child care programs for compliance with licensing and certification requirements, and the proper use of public funds. This includes the following types of visits: 

• Annual licensing and certification review visits – Licensors conduct an unannounced visit to every licensed family child care program and child care center at least once each calendar year. This is required by the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant, and Minnesota state law. DCYF licensors visit child care centers; county licensors visit family child care providers. DCYF licensors conduct an announced visit to every certified child care center at least once each calendar year.
• Licensing and certification complaint investigations – Investigations into concerns about licensing or certification violations are conducted by DCYF (licensed and certified child care centers) or counties (family child care). The investigation may include an announced or unannounced site visit, depending on the situation. 
• Maltreatment investigations - DCYF conducts investigations for alleged maltreatment in licensed or certified child care centers. Counties conduct maltreatment investigations for family child care. The site visit may be announced or unannounced, depending on the nature and source of the initial report. 
• Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) compliance checks and other program integrity investigations – DCYF investigators conduct unannounced visits to child care programs that receive CCAP or other public funding to monitor compliance with program requirements. These visits are separate from routine licensing visits. On some CCAP compliance visits, agents from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) may accompany DCYF investigators. Learn more about CCAP compliance visits on the CCAP compliance FAQ webpage. 
• Licensed child care center Early and Often visits – In their first year of operation, licensed child care centers receive four visits from a DCYF licensor. The first visit is an announced technical assistance visit. Subsequent visits are unannounced. The visits in the first and third quarters are a joint visit by a DCYF licensor and a DCYF program integrity Early and Often investigator and include an attendance record review. 

Regardless of the type of visit, whenever DCYF staff and county licensors conduct onsite licensing or oversight visits, they will: 

• Identify themselves by name and agency; 
• Explain the purpose of the visit; and 
• Present official agency identification. 

Learn more about child care licensing on DCYF's licensing webpages.