The child file and daily record audit

The enrollment file for each child

• Confirm every emergency contact is reachable this monthCall or text one number per child and note the date you verified it. Good looks like a file where no contact number is older than a year and every authorized pickup person is named in writing.
• Check immunization records against the current state scheduleCompare each record with the schedule your licensor uses, not the one you memorized. Note any child on a documented exemption and keep that documentation in the same file.
• Verify the health assessment date has not expiredMany states set a renewal window that varies by age. Write the expiration date on the front of the file and give families four weeks of notice before it lapses.
• File a signed handbook and policy receipt for every familyThis is the document that protects you in a dispute about illness exclusion or late pickup fees. Good looks like a signature and a date for every currently enrolled family, including the ones who started mid year.
• Attach a written care plan for each allergy or medical needInclude the trigger, the symptoms, the response, who to call and where the medication is stored. Post the same information where a substitute would find it without asking.
• Record photo and media permission in writingIf you send daily photos to families, get consent per child and note who has declined. Good looks like a single list you can check before anything goes out.

The daily logs a licensor opens first

• Pull last Tuesday and read the sleep log coldPick a random past date rather than yesterday. Check that every infant has checks at your required interval across the whole nap, with the time and the adult who performed each one.
• Match attendance times to arrival and departure signaturesTimes should be recorded as they happen, not filled in as a block. Good looks like varied minutes and a signature or electronic equivalent for each entry.
• Line the meal record up against the posted menuNote any substitution on the day it happened and why. If you claim through a food program, confirm the point of service counts match what your sponsor received.
• Review the diapering and toileting record for gapsLong unexplained gaps for a child in care all day invite questions. Good looks like a record that a parent could read and recognize as their actual afternoon.
• Audit the medication log for double entries and missing initialsEvery dose needs the time, the amount, the person who gave it and the written parent authorization on file. One missing initial is a finding, so check line by line.

Incidents, injuries and reportable events

• Confirm every incident report was written the same dayCompare the incident date with the date it was recorded. Reports written days later are the ones that get challenged, and the fix is a habit, not a better form.
• Check that a parent acknowledged each reportA signature at pickup or a documented electronic acknowledgment both work in most states. Good looks like no report in the file without some proof the family saw it.
• Reread the wording for judgment and blameReports should state what was observed, when, who was present and what was done. Remove any sentence that guesses at cause or names another child.
• Verify reportable events reached your licensor in timeEvery state defines a short list of events that must be reported, often within a day. Keep a copy of the notification and the time it was sent alongside the incident.
• Look for repeats in the same place or at the same hourThree scrapes at the same step in a month is a hazard, not bad luck. Note the pattern and the change you made, because a licensor who spots it will ask what you did.

Building, program and adult records

• Bring the fire and shelter drill log currentCheck the required frequency for your license class and confirm each drill has a date, a time and the number of children present. Backfilling a drill log is not an option, so schedule the next three now.
• Confirm background checks and training hours for every adultThis includes assistants, substitutes and household members over the age your rules specify. Good looks like a single sheet showing each name, the clearance date and hours completed this year.
• Check water temperature and sanitizer records if your state requires themTest at the tap children use and write the reading with the date. A missing month is easier to explain if the rest of the year is consistent.
• Verify pet vaccination and any well water testing on fileHome programs get cited for these more than centers do because the records live with personal paperwork. Move copies into the licensing binder where an inspector will look.
• Post the emergency plan and confirm it matches realityWalk the evacuation route and check that the relocation site and the contact numbers on the posted plan are still correct. Good looks like a plan a substitute could follow alone.