Background checks for independent child-care providers and babysitters
Occasional or independently operated child care is the highest-trust work in this list, and the one where families ask for a background check most often.
Short answer
Can a babysitter or independent child-care provider pay for their own check?
Yes. An independent sitter or child-care provider can order and pay for a background check on themselves and share the finished report with families and agencies. Licensed child-care programs are different: state licensing usually requires a fingerprint-based check ordered through the state, and a self-ordered report does not replace it.
Why clients ask independent child-care providers and babysitters for a background check
- Unsupervised, unmonitored time alone with children.
- Families hire on a referral or an app profile, often after one conversation.
- Overnight and travel care extends the exposure window.
- A provider barred in one state may simply move and start again.
What the check should include
These are the searches we would run for a independent child-care provider. A contractor ordering their own report gets the same searches an employer-ordered check would use.
| Search | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| SSN address trace | Identity confirmation and the county list. |
| National criminal database search | Broad multi-state first pass. |
| County criminal search | Court-verified crimes against children, violence, and drug offenses. |
| Sex offender registry | Non-negotiable for any role with unsupervised access to children. |
| Child abuse registry search | Available in many states and often the record a criminal search will not show. |
Who pays, and how contractor-paid works
When a independent child-care provider orders the report, they pay at checkout, the finished report is delivered to them, and they decide who sees it — one report, shown to every client who asks. When a platform or company orders it instead, the company holds the report and carries the adverse action obligations that come with using it to make a decision.
Our personal background check is a fixed $44.95, plus any court access fee charged by the counties searched — published at cost on our access fee lookup. Median report time is under four hours, and 89% of reports return the same business day.
Questions independent child-care providers and babysitters ask
What background check should a family ask a babysitter for?
Confirmed identity, county criminal searches in the counties the sitter has lived in, a national criminal database sweep, the sex offender registry, and a child abuse registry search where the state offers one.
Can a family run a check on a sitter themselves?
A family paying a sitter is an end user with obligations under the FCRA, including written consent and adverse action steps if the report affects the decision. It is usually simpler for the sitter to order their own report and share it.
Does this satisfy state child-care licensing?
No. Licensed programs require a fingerprint-based state and FBI check ordered through the state's own process.
How often should it be refreshed?
Annually for ongoing care, and any time a sitter starts with a new family after a long gap.
Related contractor guides
Back to the contractor-paid background checks hub for all 30 occupations.
Keep reading
- How to run a background check on yourselfThe candidate-side guide: what to request, what to expect, and how to correct an inaccurate record.Read the guide
- What shows up on a background checkEvery record type an employment screen can return, what it cannot return, and the lookback limits that apply.Read the guide
- Adverse action: meaning, notices, and timelineWhat adverse action means under the FCRA, the two required notices, and how long to wait between them.Read the guide