Free guides
Screening and child-safety playbooks, written for your kind of program
Free, cited screening and child-safety playbooks for the people who run volunteer programs — written for each kind of organization, from homeschool co-ops to summer camps. Every statistic is cited, and every guide is free.
For homeschool co-ops
Safeguarding the Co-op
A screening and child-safety playbook for homeschool co-op leaders
Free whitepaper PDF
For camps
Cleared for Camp
A staff screening and child-safety playbook for camp directors
State law covered: NY · OH · PA · TX
Free whitepaper PDF
For camps
Your First Summer
How to launch a day or overnight camp in the United States, from idea to opening day
State law covered: AL · NY · TX
Free whitepaper PDF
For camps
The Muster Zone
Camp health, safety and emergency operations for directors
State law covered: CT · MA · MI · NJ · NY · OK · TX · WI
Free whitepaper PDF
For camps
An Organized Camp
The law and practice of hiring, paying, housing, training and supervising a seasonal camp staff
State law covered: CA · CO · CT · MA · ME · MI · NH · NJ · NY · TX · WI
Free whitepaper PDF
For churches & children’s ministry
Let the Children Come
A screening and child-safety playbook for children’s ministry
State law covered: CA · PA
Free whitepaper PDF
For youth sports
Before the First Whistle
A coach and volunteer screening playbook for youth sports
State law covered: CA · FL · PA
Free whitepaper PDF
For adult & social services
Every Door, Every Bedside
A volunteer screening playbook for programs that serve vulnerable adults
Free whitepaper PDF
For schools & ptas
Beyond the Visitor Badge
A volunteer screening playbook for schools and PTAs
State law covered: CA · FL · IL · PA · TX · WA
Free whitepaper PDF
For youth mentoring
Safe Matches
A mentor screening and match-safety playbook for youth mentoring programs
State law covered: CA · PA
Free whitepaper PDF
For child care & preschool
In Good Hands
A background check playbook for child care centers, preschools, Head Start and church nurseries
State law covered: MO · TX
Free whitepaper PDF
For fcra compliance
By the Book
A plain-English FCRA playbook for nonprofits that screen volunteers
State law covered: CA · NY · WA
Free whitepaper PDF
For teen volunteers
Old Enough to Help
A playbook for screening, supervising and protecting teen volunteers and junior staff, ages 14–17
State law covered: CA · FL · NY · PA · TX
Free whitepaper PDF
For re-screening
Still Clear?
A re-screening playbook for volunteer programs
State law covered: CA · FL · NY · OH · PA · TX · VA
Free whitepaper PDF
For scouting & youth clubs
Two Deep
A volunteer screening and youth-protection playbook for scout troops, youth clubs, 4-H and Boys & Girls Clubs
State law covered: CA · GA · PA · WI
Free whitepaper PDF
For mandated reporting
Tell Someone
A mandated-reporting playbook for nonprofits and the volunteers they train
State law covered: CA · FL · IN · NJ · PA · TX · UT
Free whitepaper PDF
For disaster response
When the Call Comes
A volunteer screening playbook for disaster response and relief programs
State law covered: CT · VA
Free whitepaper PDF
For casa & child welfare
In the Child’s Corner
A screening playbook for CASA, guardian ad litem and child-welfare volunteer programs
State law covered: AZ · CA · FL · TX · WA
Free whitepaper PDF
For prison ministry & reentry
Inside and Out
A volunteer screening playbook for prison, jail and reentry ministries and programs
State law covered: CA · FL · PA · TX
Free whitepaper PDF
For identity verification
Who’s Really There?
Identity verification in volunteer screening
State law covered: TX
Free whitepaper PDF
For youth arts programs
Behind the Curtain
A screening and safeguarding playbook for youth theater, music, dance and arts programs
State law covered: CA · NY · PA
Free whitepaper PDF
For volunteers without an ssn
Welcome Here
Screening volunteers without a U.S. Social Security number — fairly, carefully and well
Free whitepaper PDF
For volunteer software
Apples to Apples
An honest 2026 guide to volunteer management software, VolunteerBadge included
Free whitepaper PDF
Florida state guide
Line of Sight
The Florida volunteer screening guide: Level 1 and Level 2, VECHS and the Clearinghouse, and who state law requires you to screen
State law covered: FL
Free whitepaper PDF
Pennsylvania state guide
Keystone Clearances
The Pennsylvania volunteer-screening guide
State law covered: PA
Free whitepaper PDF
Texas state guide
Lone Star Screening
The Texas guide to screening volunteers, sector by sector
State law covered: TX
Free whitepaper PDF
Ohio state guide
Thirty Yards
The Ohio volunteer screening guide: the §§ 109.574–.577 volunteer statute, BCI and FBI checks, parent notice and civil immunity, and the settings where Ohio law requires checks
State law covered: OH
Free whitepaper PDF
Illinois state guide
Prairie Patchwork
The Illinois volunteer screening guide: fingerprints in child care under IDEC, the Health Care Worker Act, the child sex offender law, and where Illinois’s rules stop
State law covered: IL
Free whitepaper PDF
North Carolina state guide
Permitted, Not Required
The North Carolina volunteer-screening guide: where state law requires checks, where it only permits them, and the two duties every adult has to report
State law covered: NC
Free whitepaper PDF
Georgia state guide
Under the Live Oaks
The Georgia guide to screening volunteers: what § 35-3-34.2 authorizes, where DECAL and DCH require checks, what a GCIC record shows, and the reporting duty Georgia gives volunteers
State law covered: GA
Free whitepaper PDF
Washington state guide
Sound Judgment
The Washington guide to screening volunteers: the State Patrol records RCW 43.43.832 lets you request, the duties that follow, where DCYF and DSHS require checks, and the supervisor’s duty to report
State law covered: WA
Free whitepaper PDF
New Jersey state guide
A Letter, Not a Record
The New Jersey guide to screening volunteers: the optional State Police VRO check, the sex offender bar every youth program must honor, child care and camp checks, and a reporting duty on every person
State law covered: NJ
Free whitepaper PDF
Michigan state guide
The Mitten Map
The Michigan guide to screening volunteers: why Michigan screens by setting, not by title — MiLEAP child care and camps, area agencies on aging, child placing agencies, the free ICHAT name check and the Central Registry
State law covered: MI
Free whitepaper PDF
Virginia state guide
Barrier Crimes
The Virginia guide to screening volunteers: the barrier-crime list, the State Police check any care organization may request, where VDOE and DSS require checks, and which volunteers must report abuse
State law covered: VA
Free whitepaper PDF
Arizona state guide
Card-Carrying
The Arizona guide to screening volunteers: the DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card, what bars a Level I card, which settings require one and when, and the reporting duty that changes on September 12, 2026
State law covered: AZ
Free whitepaper PDF
Massachusetts state guide
Shall Obtain
The Massachusetts guide to screening volunteers: where CORI is a choice, the settings where the law says “shall obtain,” what each access level shows, and the steps before you question or decide
State law covered: MA
Free whitepaper PDF
Tennessee state guide
The Volunteer State
The Tennessee guide to screening volunteers: the duty every person has to report, the Abuse Registry check that covers every child, DHS and DCS child care, Titles 33 and 52, schools and TBI records
State law covered: TN
Free whitepaper PDF
Maryland state guide
Old Line, New Numbers
The Maryland guide to screening volunteers: the Family Law checks that moved from § 5-561 to § 5-551, MSDE child care and MDH youth-camp rules, DPSCS fingerprints, the CPS clearance and a reporting duty every Marylander shares
State law covered: MD
Free whitepaper PDF
Missouri state guide
Show Me the Check
The Missouri guide to screening volunteers: the four settings where the law requires a check, the Family Care Safety Registry, Highway Patrol records, and what Missouri shows you and what it holds back
State law covered: MO
Free whitepaper PDF
Indiana state guide
The Premises Test
The Indiana guide to screening volunteers: the child care premises test, the optional State Police fingerprint route, high school coaches and residential care, and the duties Indiana puts on every volunteer
State law covered: IN
Free whitepaper PDF
Minnesota state guide
Within Sight or Hearing
The Minnesota guide to screening volunteers: the chapter 245C supervision line, DHS and DCYF background studies, the BCA’s voluntary route, school coaches and who must report
State law covered: MN
Free whitepaper PDF
South Carolina state guide
The Eight-Dollar Door
The South Carolina guide to screening volunteers: SLED’s $8 CATCH rate and what it can’t show, the child care and group-home checks, the felony that reaches every youth program, and two reporting laws with two different rules
State law covered: SC
Free whitepaper PDF
Wisconsin state guide
Only If
The Wisconsin guide to screening volunteers: the Caregiver Law’s “only if” test, DCF child care fingerprints, camp checks for staff “paid or unpaid,” the § 948.13 felony and a reporting duty set by occupation
State law covered: WI
Free whitepaper PDF
Colorado state guide
Both Sides of the Divide
The Colorado guide to screening volunteers: the optional VECHS door, SB 24-113’s coach checks, CDEC child care and camp rules, the domestic violence program rule, the CAPS check and a reporting law rewritten in 2025
State law covered: CO
Free whitepaper PDF
Kentucky state guide
Fence Lines
The Kentucky guide to screening volunteers: where each duty begins and ends — child care fingerprints, school-board policies, publicly funded camps, the CA/N letter, the State Police check and a reporting duty on any person
State law covered: KY
Free whitepaper PDF
Oregon state guide
Where the Trail Forks
The Oregon guide to screening volunteers: the Central Background Registry for child care and recorded programs, the school policy ORS 326.607 requires, home-care checks after HB 4115, the State Police’s routes and who must report abuse
State law covered: OR
Free whitepaper PDF
Alabama state guide
Found Suitable
The Alabama guide to screening volunteers: Chapter 38-13 and DHR’s suitability letter, church-exempt child care, the new ALEA Background Check Service, the 2027 overnight-camp rule and the reporting changes of October 1, 2026
State law covered: AL
Free whitepaper PDF
Louisiana state guide
In a Voluntary Capacity
The Louisiana guide to screening volunteers: where the law says “may,” the six places it says “shall,” LDOE child care checks, DCFS and LDH homes, CASA, and a reporting duty that names volunteers
State law covered: LA
Free whitepaper PDF
Connecticut state guide
Employee or Volunteer
The Connecticut guide to screening volunteers: the youth sports law that names both, OEC child care and camp checks, the long-term care search, DCF’s registry, Clean Slate and a reporting list written for paid roles
State law covered: CT
Free whitepaper PDF
Oklahoma state guide
Red Dirt Registries
The Oklahoma guide to screening volunteers: the 57 O.S. § 589 registry rule for everyone who serves children, DHS child care checks keyed to “unsupervised access,” CASA and long-term care rules, OSBI’s 2026 fees and Clean Slate
State law covered: OK
Free whitepaper PDF
Utah state guide
Twenty-Five or More
The Utah guide to screening volunteers: the 2025 youth-group registry search, DHHS background processing, child care and school fingerprints, BCI and VECHS, and a reporting duty every Utahn shares
State law covered: UT
Free whitepaper PDF
Mississippi state guide
Never Left Alone
The Mississippi guide to screening volunteers: the MSDH 120-hour rule and Letter of Suitability, § 43-15-6 fingerprints in residential care, DMH provider checks, a registrant’s duty to tell you and a reporting duty on “any other person”
State law covered: MS
Free whitepaper PDF
Iowa state guide
No Duty to Check
The Iowa guide to screening volunteers: the statute that says access creates no duty, the child care rule that checks volunteers who count in ratio, carry direct responsibility or are alone with a child, and the sex-offender law that counts volunteering as employment
State law covered: IA
Free whitepaper PDF
Kansas state guide
Counted in Ratio
The Kansas guide to screening volunteers: child care’s two-tier check and the new Office of Early Childhood, the K.S.A. 75-712i fingerprint route, DCF and KDADS rules, a rebuilt abuse registry and a seven-year limit on background reports
State law covered: KS
Free whitepaper PDF
Nebraska state guide
Open to Inspection
The Nebraska guide to screening volunteers: a criminal record anyone may read, State Patrol fingerprints only where a law says so, child care’s function test after LB912, group-home, foster and CASA checks, and a reporting duty on every person
State law covered: NE
Free whitepaper PDF
New Mexico state guide
The Exempt Volunteer
The New Mexico guide to screening volunteers: the six-hour supervised exemption, ECECD and CYFD fingerprint clearances, § 22-10A-5 school checks, caregiver and ALTSD screening, and the duty every person has to report
State law covered: NM
Free whitepaper PDF
West Virginia state guide
Irregular or Supervised
The West Virginia guide to screening volunteers: who WV CARES clears and who it leaves out, child care’s no-provisional rule, the camp exemption that requires checks, the Central Abuse Registry and a reporting duty that names volunteers
State law covered: WV
Free whitepaper PDF
Idaho state guide
The Five-Year Clock
The Idaho guide to screening volunteers: the daycare check from age 13, the 2026 IDHW law that names care volunteers, five-day school fingerprints, guardians ad litem, the optional State Police route and a reporting duty that reaches everyone
State law covered: ID
Free whitepaper PDF
New Hampshire state guide
Exclusively or Predominantly
The New Hampshire guide to screening volunteers: the RSA 632-A:10 felony bar, youth skill camps and recreation camps, DHHS licensing checks, designated school volunteers, the BEAS registry and a reporting duty on any other person
State law covered: NH
Free whitepaper PDF
Maine state guide
Beyond the Policy Limits
The Maine guide to screening volunteers: the camp rule that checks every volunteer every year, child care’s Letter of Eligibility, the Background Check Center, a reporting law that names volunteers, and § 158-C
State law covered: ME
Free whitepaper PDF
Montana state guide
In Transit
The Montana guide to screening volunteers: HB 745’s fingerprint rule for adults alone with students, even on the bus; child care and youth residential checks; the DPHHS protective services check; public criminal records; and a seven-year rule from 1975
State law covered: MT
Free whitepaper PDF
Arkansas state guide
Qualified or Not
The Arkansas guide to screening volunteers: the State Police check that answers only “qualified” or “not,” child care’s two clocks, the coaching volunteer’s prints, a reporting duty for any adult who sees abuse, and sealed convictions that still count
State law covered: AR
Free whitepaper PDF
Rhode Island state guide
Child Safe Zones
The Rhode Island guide to screening volunteers: the two-hour youth-serving-agency test, the $5 school check, DHS and DCYF rules, the child safe zone bar, and a reporting duty that reaches every person
State law covered: RI
Free whitepaper PDF
Hawaii state guide
Across the Channels
The Hawaii guide to screening volunteers: one fingerprint statute and its routes — VECHS, DHS child care, the July 2026 healthcare rewrite, DHS programs and the harm to students registry
State law covered: HI
Free whitepaper PDF
Vermont state guide
The Sixth Visit
The Vermont guide to screening volunteers: the DCF check that begins with a helper’s sixth visit, conviction records any organization can buy from VCIC, a camp counselor’s 24-hour reporting duty, and a 2025 sealing law that puts far more convictions behind the words “no criminal record exists”
State law covered: VT
Free whitepaper PDF
Delaware state guide
Regular Direct Access
The Delaware guide to screening volunteers: the § 309 fingerprint and Child Protection Registry check, the bars it sets, private schools under § 312, child care, camps, fire companies and a reporting duty that reaches every person
State law covered: DE
Free whitepaper PDF
Alaska state guide
Off the Road System
The Alaska guide to screening volunteers: who the Department of Health’s Background Check Program reaches, why supervision doesn’t exempt a regular volunteer, DPS records, and the school volunteers Alaska makes reporters
State law covered: AK
Free whitepaper PDF
North Dakota state guide
Two Sets of Prints
The North Dakota guide to screening volunteers: when a child care volunteer counts as a “staff member,” the placement and residential checks that name volunteers, what a BCI record shows, and why a nonprofit can’t order FBI results through the state
State law covered: ND
Free whitepaper PDF
South Dakota state guide
Signed and Printed
The South Dakota guide to screening volunteers: the fingerprint rule for licensed child welfare agencies, DSS child care and central registry screening, school checks after 2026, DCI records and the volunteers the law makes report
State law covered: SD
Free whitepaper PDF
Wyoming state guide
Upon Appropriate Application
The Wyoming guide to screening volunteers: the DCI consent check and its $10 volunteer rate, DFS Central Registry screens, the child care, group care, Medicaid waiver and victim-services rules that require checks, and the reporting duty Wyoming gives any person
State law covered: WY
Free whitepaper PDF
Nevada state guide
The Sole Responsibility
The Nevada guide to screening volunteers: the VECHS check the law calls voluntary, the settings where Nevada says “must,” DPS fees and the Revolving Account, child care, school and camp rules, and who reports
State law covered: NV
Free whitepaper PDF
New York state guide
The Right Register
The New York volunteer screening guide: camps, child care, Justice Center settings and schools, the register each one checks, and the sealed-record rules behind every volunteer decision
State law covered: NY
Free whitepaper PDF
California state guide
Sixteen Hours
The California volunteer screening guide: AB 506 and the regular-volunteer rule, CalVECHS and Live Scan, mandated reporting, and the settings with rules of their own
State law covered: CA
Free whitepaper PDF