Licensed providers and individuals affiliated with a licensed or certified provider must complete a Department of Human Services (DHS) enhanced background study every five years. Do not submit new background study applications more than 90 days before the current expiration date. For example, for an expiration date of Oct. 4, 2023, you may submit a new study in NETStudy 2.0 on July 6, 2023, at the earliest.
To find the expiration date of a fully compliant, enhanced child care study, locate the study subject by doing a roster search and look for the date in the “Determination Expiration Date” column on the Roster screen in NETStudy 2.0. To get to the Roster screen:
- log in to your NETStudy 2.0 user account,
- hover over the Rosters tab in the top toolbar,
- select Roster in the drop down, and
- enter search criteria and select Search at the bottom of the screen.
Expired and invalid emergency studies
Emergency background studies are no longer valid. Currently, these expiration dates display as five years from the date of the determination, however, NETStudy 2.0 will update expiration dates for emergency studies to be displayed as 12/31/2022 in the coming weeks. Instructions on how to identify emergency studies are in the Help section in the document titled, Identifying Emergency Studies – Updated 2022.11.30 . If an individual who is still affiliated has not had a new fingerprint-based background study submitted since their emergency study expired, then your entity is not compliant with state and federal background study requirements. A new enhanced child care study must be submitted immediately in NETStudy 2.0 for individuals who do not have one.
Studies submitted before Oct. 4, 2018
DHS implemented enhanced background studies for child care provider types on Oct. 4, 2018. Background studies submitted before Oct. 4, 2018, are not enhanced studies. If an individual has a study that was submitted prior to Oct. 4, 2018, then your entity is not compliant with state and federal background study requirements. A new enhanced child care study must be submitted immediately in NETStudy 2.0 for individuals who do not have one.
Coming soon
Instructions on how to identify expiring background studies will be updated soon! Users will have access to a new screen in NETStudy 2.0 to more easily manage expiring studies. User instructions will be sent out when this update occurs later this summer.
Background
In 2017 and 2018, the Minnesota Legislature established enhanced background study requirements for child care providers to bring Minnesota into compliance with federal law. DHS began conducting enhanced child care background studies in October 2018. For clarification on who needs to complete a background study, see the "Additional resources" section below.
Enhanced background studies include fingerprint searches in federal databases. Minors who have a name-based study will need a fingerprint-based study when they turn 18 years old. Enhanced background studies include updates for study subjects regarding new Minnesota criminal history and substantiated Minnesota maltreatment through:
- daily updates from the Minnesota Court Information System, and
- weekly checks of the Minnesota Maltreatment Registry.
