(A)Application for a statement of standard conformity or approval must be made on forms supplied by the department and in the manner it prescribes.
(B)Before issuing approval the department shall conduct an investigation of the applicant and the proposed plan of care for children and for operating a public childcare center or group childcare home. If the results of the investigation verify that the provisions of the chapter and the applicable regulations promulgated by the department are satisfied, approval must be issued. The applicant shall cooperate with the investigation and inspections by providing access to the physical plant, records, and staff. The investigation and related inspections may involve consideration of any facts, conditions, or circumstances relevant to the operation
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(A) Application for a statement of standard conformity or approval must be made on forms supplied by the department and in the manner it prescribes. (B) Before issuing approval the department shall conduct an investigation of the applicant and the proposed plan of care for children and for operating a public childcare center or group childcare home. If the results of the investigation verify that the provisions of the chapter and the applicable regulations promulgated by the department are satisfied, approval must be issued. The applicant shall cooperate with the investigation and inspections by providing access to the physical plant, records, and staff. The investigation and related inspections may involve consideration of any facts, conditions, or circumstances relevant to the operation of the childcare center or group childcare home, including references and other information about the character and quality of the personnel. If the childcare center or group childcare home fails to comply with the regulations promulgated by the department within the time period specified in this chapter, if adequate notification regarding deficiencies has been given, the appropriate public officials of the state and local government must be notified. (C) A person applying for approval under this section shall undergo a state fingerprint-based background check to be conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division to determine any state criminal history, a fingerprint-based background check to be conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine any other criminal history, a Central Registry check to be conducted by the department to determine any abuse or neglect perpetrated by the person upon a child, and a search of the National Crime Information Center National Sex Offender Registry and the state sex offender registry pursuant to Section 23-3-430. The person shall be subject to a state criminal register or repository check, a state sex offender check, and a state child abuse and neglect registry and database check in each state where the person has lived in the previous five years. The fingerprint-based background checks required by this subsection are required to be repeated every five years. (D)(1) No approval may be granted under this section if the person applying for approval or the operator, an employee, or a caregiver of the facility has been convicted of any of the offenses included in Section 63-13-40(A)(1). (2) This section does not prohibit approval when a conviction or plea of guilty or nolo contendere for one of the crimes enumerated in this subsection has been pardoned. However, notwithstanding the entry of a pardon, the department may consider all information available, including the person's pardoned convictions or pleas and the circumstances surrounding them, to determine whether the person is unfit or otherwise unsuited as an applicant or to be an operator, caregiver, or employee. (E) Application forms for a statement of standard conformity or approval issued under this section must include, at the top of the form in large bold type, a statement indicating that a person who has been convicted of a crime enumerated in Section 63-13-40(A)(1) who applies for approval is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. (F) Application forms for a statement of standard conformity or approval issued under this chapter by the department and application forms for employment at individual public childcare centers or group childcare homes must include, at the top of the form in large bold type, a statement indicating that a person who has been convicted of one of the offenses included in Section 63-13-40(A)(1) who applies for a license as operator, applies for employment with, is employed by, seeks to provide caregiver services with, or is a caregiver at a facility is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. (G) The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are authorized to retain and store fingerprints for further use in the identification of persons, including, but not limited to, use in identifying unsolved latent prints. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are authorized to provide the department with current and future information regarding the fingerprints stored, including arrests, convictions, dispositions, warrants, and other information available to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, such as civil and criminal information. The prospective employee or childcare facility shall be responsible for any fees associated with any and all required background checks. Fees shall not exceed the actual cost of processing and administration.