Bottom Line for Nebraska Nonprofits
- ✓All staff and applicable volunteers at licensed childcare centers and family child care homes
- ✓CASA volunteer advocates
- ✓Volunteers with unsupervised access to children in DHHS-contracted programs
- +1 more covered roles below
State Laws That Apply to Volunteer Background Checks
Child Care Licensing Background Check
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 71-1912Requires national criminal history record information checks for all child care staff members at licensed facilities. Fingerprint-based checks are required for childcare volunteers who may be alone with children; volunteers age 13 and older must consent to central registry checks.
CASA Volunteer Background Check
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-3709Requires CASA program directors to obtain FBI criminal history records, check child protection case registries, and obtain character references from at least three persons before appointing court-appointed special advocate volunteers.
Quality Child Care Act
Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 43-2601 to 43-2625Establishes quality standards for child care programs including personnel background requirements. Volunteer daycare workers (category 'CCDV') must be separately fingerprinted through DHHS.
Who Must Be Screened in Nebraska
!Legally Required to Be Screened
- •All staff and applicable volunteers at licensed childcare centers and family child care homes
- •CASA volunteer advocates
- •Volunteers with unsupervised access to children in DHHS-contracted programs
- •Volunteers age 13+ who have contact with children at licensed day care centers
Types of Background Checks Required in Nebraska
How to Get Background Checks in Nebraska
$5 per check — includes national criminal database, sex offender registry across all 50 states, SSN trace, and FCRA Certified Compliance Team review.
Start Free Today →Volunteer Screening in Nebraska: What You Need to Know
Nebraska's volunteer childcare fingerprint program has a distinct category code ('CCDV Daycare Volunteer') that must be selected during the fingerprint application process — selecting the wrong category invalidates the check. Non-profit church nursery and Sunday school programs using volunteers are explicitly exempt from licensing and fingerprint requirements. Nebraska does not have a state FCRA analog; federal FCRA applies to third-party consumer reporting agencies.
Compliance Tips for Nebraska Nonprofits
- 1
When submitting fingerprint applications for childcare volunteers through DHHS, select 'CCDV Daycare Volunteer' as the reason fingerprinted — this is a separate category from employee checks and incorrect coding causes processing delays.
- 2
Church nursery and Sunday school volunteer programs are exempt from the childcare licensing fingerprint mandate, but your church's insurance carrier may still require screening — check your liability policy requirements.
- 3
For CASA programs, collect the three required character references before submitting the FBI check request; § 43-3709 requires both elements before appointment.
- 4
Nebraska's informal 'Ban-the-Box' norms (derived from EEOC guidance adopted by DHHS) mean you should not ask about criminal history on an initial volunteer application — make inquiry only after a conditional acceptance decision.
- 5
Volunteers age 13 to 17 require parental or guardian authorization on central registry consent forms — maintain signed consent documentation separately from adult volunteer files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Child Care Licensing Background Check apply to my nonprofit?
Nebraska law applies to nonprofits with volunteers working in covered roles — typically involving direct, unsupervised contact with children, elderly individuals, or vulnerable adults. Nebraska does not have a single comprehensive volunteer background check statute.
What happens if we skip background checks in Nebraska?
Failing to screen volunteers in Nebraska can expose your organization to negligent supervision liability, loss of insurance coverage, and — in sectors with mandatory requirements — regulatory penalties. Under the federal FCRA, running checks without proper procedures also creates compliance risk.
How long does a Nebraska volunteer background check take?
Timing varies by check type. VolunteerBadge's national criminal database and sex offender registry checks return results instantly. Fingerprint-based checks through Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Licensing Unit; Nebraska State Patrol for fingerprint processing typically take 3–10 business days.