DE HB204

Establishes a Child Care Complaint Investigative Unit within the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) under the Department of Education to handle intake, investigation, resolution, and documentation of complaints against licensed child care facilities and providers

Requires the unit to coordinate with the Department of Children, Youth, and Family Services and law enforcement when complaints involve suspected child abuse, neglect, or criminal conduct

Mandates a centralized confidential record-keeping system and annual public reports summarizing complaint numbers, investigation outcomes, and enforcement actions, while protecting personally identifiable information

Requires substantiated complaint findings to be accessible to the public through a searchable online database, consistent with applicable privacy laws

Must be implemented within 180 days using existing OCCL staff (reclassified with salaries aligned to Title 14, § 1305 schedule) and existing operational resources