Before formal action

The information explaining how to review or appeal a DEL decision is broken into four sections for easier navigation. Below are the four sections and where you are located now:

  1. What may happen before formal action is taken? Before taking a formal action, the department can work to address concerns.
  2. Appealing a DEL action There are laws in place to protect the right to appeal certain DEL decisions to a hearing judge. Read More >
  3. Appeal rights after a hearing After a hearing judge hands down an initial decision, any party may request review by the DEL review judge. Read More >
  4. Hearing and DEL Review Judges Who are the hearing judges and DEL review judge, and what is their relationship with the Department? Read More >

Before DEL takes formal action relating to a licensed child care provider or an individual, DEL can work with individuals or child care providers to address concerns in a variety of ways. These include:

  • Compliance agreements, which are plans signed by DEL and a licensed child care provider to correct a problem by a certain date.
  • In a background check disqualification, the disqualified person can ask DEL to consider what they have done to rehabilitate or clear up past history that led to the disqualification.
  • For seasonal child care subsidies, the parent is given time to gather whatever information is needed to help the eligibility worker decide if the parent can receive subsidies.

Once a formal licensing, disqualification or seasonal child care subsidy action happens, the person or child care provider must go through the hearing process to appeal the DEL action. For more information, see appealing a DEL action.