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Corrected August 2026 Family Child Care Licensor Link Newsletter

This newsletter is intended for delegated county FCC licensing workers and supervisors. It includes important updates and a summary of information from the monthly FCC Licensor Call.

August 31, 2026

• 2026 legislation: new revised child care licensing standards webpage
• Revised standards implementation workgroup
• 2025 Legislative Implementation Plan updates posted
• Reminder: enter specific correction deadlines in ELICI
• Notice of incomplete application letter
• Supplemental licensing checklist – optional resource
• Licensing action recommendation letters
• Develop log-in reminders
• Foundations training – next series offered September 10-25, 2026
• FCC Investigations, Licensing Actions & Conditional Monitoring training opportunity
• CCAP, Licensing, and Program Integrity training
• FCC Rule 13 Training
• Statewide office hours with DCYF
• 3rd Thursday licensor call
• ELICI monthly workshop
• Early Childhood Connector Call on October 13, 2026
• Think Small training flyers

2026 legislation: new revised child care licensing standards webpage

DCYF continues preparing for the revised licensing standards that take effect July 1, 2027. Many staff are actively working to develop the Implementation Guide, creating trainings for county licensing staff and license holders, and reviewing forms and resources to determine what must be updated or newly created.

DCYF has launched a new webpage for the revised child care licensing standards, which will be regularly updated with implementation guidance, explanatory materials, and future training opportunities. For now, the best ways to begin preparing are to review the “What’s changing” section and subscribe to the monthly newsletter.

Questions or comments about the revised standards may be submitted to ccregmodernization.DCYF@state.mn.us. Submissions will be reviewed, but individual responses will not be provided.

Again, as a reminder, current child care licensing requirements remain in effect until July 1, 2027. DCYF will continue sharing monthly updates through its list-serv, including highlights of new or revised regulations. We encourage everyone to ensure they are subscribed.

Revised standards implementation workgroup

As part of the implementation of the revised licensing standards, the DCYF Family Child Care team and Policy team are together creating a small workgroup of licensors to provide input on the format and content of the interpretive guidance manual. There will be regular meetings (1 hour biweekly from October through March) of the workgroup via Teams. If you are interested in joining the workgroup, please reach out to Katherine DiBenedetto by September 15^th at katherine.m.dibenedetto@state.mn.us.

2025 Legislative Implementation Plan updates posted

We have updated the 2025 Legislative Implementation Plan, and the amended version is now available on our website.

Reminder: enter specific correction deadlines in ELICI

We’ve seen an increase in correction orders, during ELICI consults and County File Reviews, where all violations are defaulting to “Immediately.” This happens when no correction deadline is entered for each item.

What’s required: Minnesota Rule 9543.0090, Subp. 3 requires every correction order to include a specific time period for correcting each violation.

What to do in ELICI:

• Open the Correction Order page
• Select each violation
• Enter an appropriate and realistic correction deadline
• Avoid leaving the date field blank. ELICI will automatically set the timeframe to “Immediately,” which is usually not accurate or appropriate

Tip: If you have violations that require different correction timeframes, you can issue multiple correction orders to separate items based on urgency. Instructions for this process are available in the ELICI Manual (Nov. 2021), pages 77–78, or you may contact Triage for support.

Notice of incomplete application letter

A revised template of the notice of incomplete application letter (45-day letter), specific to licensed family child care is now available on the FCC Licensor Library.

Supplemental licensing checklist – optional resource

An optional new tool will soon be added to the FCC Licensor Library to support licensors when reviewing attendance records during visits. This resource provides a list of potential “red flags” that may signal the need for further review and includes a simple form for tracking notes and observations. It is intended only as a helpful aid. Any concerns identified should continue to be reported to triage.

Adding this optional tool to the Licensor Library is currently in progress.

For those who want to learn more about program integrity requirements, DCYF will offer a repeat of the CCAP Licensing and Program Integrity Training on September 29, from 10–11 a.m.

Licensing action recommendation letters

When submitting licensing action recommendation letters, please make sure that you are including the letterhead for the county/agency that is sending the recommendation to DCYF.

Develop log-in reminders

Users must log-in to Develop at least every 30 days or an email will be sent from Develop. It is advised to log-in right then, when reminded. If it gets to 60 days, the account access will be deactivated.

If your account is deactivated, please contact lisa.mills@state.mn.us for help with reactivation. If there are general issues with your Develop account (password reset, how to access, etc.), contact the Develop help desk at support@develophelp.zendesk.com.

Foundations training – next series offered September 10-25, 2026

Foundations training is required for all new licensing staff before they begin licensing work and must be completed within 90 days of hire. If you have an employee who needs FCC Foundations, please reach out to Triage. Until further notice, Foundations will be limited to new licensors only while we work to train all licensors on the FCC revised standards.

FCC Investigations, Licensing Actions & Conditional Monitoring training opportunity

Join us on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. for an informative session that will offer practical guidance, helpful examples, and straightforward tools to strengthen your work with FCC investigations, licensing actions, and conditional monitoring. Come ready to learn key insights you can put to use right away.

Registration is available in TrainLink.

CCAP, Licensing, and Program Integrity training

We are offering a repeat session of the CCAP, Licensing, and Program Integrity training, originally presented during the May 2026 licensor call. This training provides important guidance to help licensing staff strengthen oversight and ensure consistent, accountable practice across counties. Please join us on Tuesday, September 29, from 10:00–11:00 a.m. for this focused refresher.

Registration is available in TrainLink.

FCC Rule 13 Training

We’re pleased to announce another offer of our Rule 13 Process Training, designed to support consistency, clarity, and confidence in licensing procedures. This repeated session will be held on Monday, October 19, 2026, from 1–3 p.m. Staff who have not yet attended, or those who would benefit from a refresher, are strongly encouraged to participate.

Registration is available in TrainLink.

Statewide office hours with DCYF

Think of these sessions as live triage, hosted by the Family Child Care Licensing team. The purpose of these sessions is to answer questions, listen to comments, and problem-solve together regarding the unique situations that we encounter. These office hours are open-house style, meaning attendees can come and go as needed. DCYF will not be preparing content for each session so please come with questions and comments regarding FCC licensing. If you have not received an invite to join, please reach out to DCYF FCC Triage.

• Tuesday, September 1 | 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
• Tuesday, October 6 | 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

3rd Thursday licensor call

DCYF FCC Licensing will provide information and updates during this call and be available for questions. If you have not received an invite to join, please reach out to DCYF FCC Triage.

• Thursday, September 17 | 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
• Thursday, October 15 | 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.

ELICI monthly workshop

The ELICI tool’s purpose is to ensure consistent compliance monitoring throughout the state. DCYF has planned monthly workshops to support counties with their ongoing compliance with the requirement to use the ELICI tool to do licensing work in Minnesota. We value our partnership with counties and encourage feedback and suggestions to inform these workshop sessions. Here is the link to the ELICI manual: https://mn.gov/dhs/assets/ELICI-user-guide_tcm1053-376631.pdf 

• Monday, September 28 | 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
• Monday, October 26 | 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

For calls, office hours and ELICI workshops, you should receive an invite with a link to join. If you are not getting these invites, please contact Triage.

Early Childhood Connector Call on October 13, 2026

Join the cross-agency Early Childhood Connector Call on October 13, 2026, from 7-8 p.m. for the next Connector Call! Connector Calls are a great opportunity to get your questions answered and seek clarification. During the call, state staff will answer questions related to legislation, licensing, programs, grants and more. Early educators of all types, from licensed programs to Family, Friend and Neighbor caregivers, are invited.

Link to join the call: https://minnesota.webex.com/minnesota/j.php?MTID=m4ccaa25f97bd6d3e3029c737d58ef6cc

Questions must be submitted beforehand; new questions will not be answered during the call. Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

Calls are recorded and temporarily available to those unable to attend. Visit the Early Childhood Connector website to learn more about Connector Calls and the Early Childhood Connector Newsletter. 

Think Small training flyers

Links to Think Small’s current training flyers:

September training flyer for Southern: https://conta.cc/3U7MlvD

September training flyer for Metro: https://conta.cc/4gF7Iw3

Metro September Super Saturday – September 19 at Think Small Saint Paul: https://institute.thinksmall.org/learn/courses/1371/september-super-saturday

Child Care Aware of Minnesota (DCYF-owned) courses at the Think Small Institute are now in Spanish: Child Care Aware of MN eLearning Spanish (click to see all courses) - Think Small Institute

If a group, association, or center is interested in requesting a Tailored Training, please have them fill out this form

A free Think Small Institute account is required to register for any in-person or online Think Small/Child Care Aware of Minnesota training. Instructions with screen shots are available in English and in Spanish. If an educator needs assistance finding a training or creating a free Think Small Institute account, they can contact Think Small PD Support at 651-641-3549 or email PDsupport@thinksmall.org.

Think Small is funded in part by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families in partnership with Child Care Aware of Minnesota.