Early Childhood Care and Education Program
Before entering certain internship, practicum, or clinical settings, early childhood care and education students must obtain a criminal background check. Class instructors will inform students when they should begin the criminal background check process. If the background check is not satisfactory, students will be required to withdraw from the class.
All students enrolled in Early Childhood Care and Education programs that require students to be placed in practicum/lab courses or be placed in any internship or practicum setting in a paid or unpaid capacity that involves personal contact with any child being cared for by a public or private child care learning center, pre-K facility, group day care home, or family day care home may be required to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal records check. With respect to participation in a practicum/lab or internship, there may be additional standards established by individual site operators that students must meet. A student’s placement at a particular site for a practicum/lab or internship is contingent upon acceptance by the individual operator. Students who receive an unsatisfactory fingerprint records check determination from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning will be provided an opportunity to show that the record is in error and/or to appeal the determination by requesting a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings.
If an unsatisfactory determination from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is not reversed; if students are unable to meet other practicum/lab or internship requirements established by an individual site operator; or if students are removed from and cannot return to complete a practicum/lab or internship placement in response to an arrest, conviction, or other change(s) in criminal history status involving a covered crime; or, if they fail to meet other established academic requirements associated with the ECCE program, they will be unable to graduate from OFTC with an Early Childhood Care and Education Degree or Diploma.
Students are responsible for all costs associated with the above referenced fingerprint records check. The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning reserves the right to require students to undergo an additional fingerprint records check if the agency has reason to believe that students possess a criminal record that renders them ineligible to have contact with children in an internship or practicum/lab site. Students are responsible for all costs associated with any additional fingerprint record check(s) that may be required.
Students must sign the Acknowledgement of Criminal History Records Check Requirements Form and the Early Childhood Care and Education Program Disclosure of Arrest/Conviction Form. If a student is arrested, convicted of any crime, or subject to any other criminal history status change for a covered crime while performing an internship or practicum/lab in a child enrichment center or group day care home, he/she must verbally notify and provide the site with a completed Disclosure of Arrest/Conviction Form no later than three (3) calendar days following the arrest, conviction, or change regarding his/her criminal history status