Documentation for Applications

The attestation form must be completed by the owner for licensed homes, owner and director for licensed centers, religious leader for unlicensed child care ministries and owner or director of Legally Licensed Exempt Providers. The individual who signs the attestation form will also sign the application to show their involvement with the licensing decisions. If the individual is not listed in the Provider Admin section, send them an admin invitation. This allows them to sign the last page of the application and submit it. Anyone listed as a provider admin needs to be sent an educator invitation to complete their consent form(s) for each site. Select “Applicant” as their Educator Type on the invitation or on the Associated Educator roster.

Some cities and townships in Indiana require a business permit to operate child care programs (excluding registered ministries). For cities and townships that do not require a business permit, a child care program still needs to obtain a currently dated letter of exemption for a business permit from the governing office of that city or township. Please verify with your consultant which type is appropriate for your child care program and location. The business permit or exemption letter must be uploaded with your renewal application in I-LEAD. New business permits can be acquired from the zoning commission in your area. Business permits and exemption letters should be renewed annually with a current date.

View the list of business permit contacts by city and county.

Press “Ctrl + F” on your keyboard to pull up a search box. Type in your city or county and press Enter until you locate the local office that serves your area.

You can also look up the information online. Use the search feature of a web browser to type in keywords for your city and the state. (Examples: town of plainfield indiana, city of fort wayne indiana, marion county government building indiana, etc).

This will bring up the website for your governing body. Find the main switchboard number. Ask for the zoning/business permit department to reach the correct office. They will either provide you with an exemption letter or information about how to get a business permit according to the ordinances of your area.

Providers opening a child care program or those doing a renewal may be required to have a fire inspection through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS).

• New Program: Those who have never had a fire inspection with the Fire Marshal need to follow the instructions for “First-time Operators.”
• Renewal: Those renewing their license will use I-LEAD to renew it through “For Operators Whose Facility Is Already in the System.”

Note: Keep the results from the fire inspection, as the licensing consultant may request them during their next visit.

Some church groups and denominations have an umbrella 501(c)(3) exemption. Each congregation still incorporates individually and adopts its own bylaws. The church can obtain a copy of the denomination’s 501(c)(3) exemption letter on denomination letterhead that states the church is in good standing.

Licensed child care centers and unlicensed child care ministries may be required to upload recent articles of incorporation paperwork granted by the Indiana Secretary of State. Licensed child care centers are only required to submit the certificate page. Unlicensed registered child care ministries that are religious organizations are required to submit all pages. A church does not need articles of incorporation.

Step-By-Step Display

To obtain a certified copy of Articles of Incorporation, go to the Indiana Secretary of State Business Page.

1. Click on Business Entities.

2. You will be redirected to a search database (Click I am not a robot and complete the verification tests to continue. Do not idle on the page for too long or you may have to repeat this step.)

3. In the Search box, type your Business Name: (Example: Early Learning Indiana) and click Search.

4. Click on the Business ID next to Business Name to view all details.

5. Click on Certified Copies Request. You will now see all entity details. You can print or download your articles for free

6. Select the documents you wish to download. (Example: Articles of Incorporation)

7. When you click on Certified Copies Request, a window appears that says, “Option to open or save file.”

Your articles will be a few pages long. The first page always has the Indiana seal on it and is marked ”certified copies.” If you download your articles, they will be added to your “Downloads” folder or cloud unless you select another folder. The entire file can be uploaded to the “Documentation” section of an application if you save it to your device.

For Legally License-Exempt Programs (LLEP), your renewal may require completion of a licensing exemption affidavit.

Unlicensed registered child care ministries need to upload a recent tax exemption ID. This is the 501(c)(3). Tax exemptions can be acquired from the IRS.

For homes with private water instead of public, you need to get your well tested and upload the results from the county health department to your application.
Water from a source other than a municipal water supply (private well water) must be tested annually to ensure it is safe for drinking, cooking and washing.

• Contact an approved lab and request a collection kit. Once you collect your water, send the kit back to the lab for testing, and they will mail you the results. Be sure this is one of the first things you do, because this process generally takes a significant amount of time.
• The results of the coliform bacteria testing must indicate that your water is safe for drinking, cooking and washing.

Form W-9 — Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification — is a commonly used IRS form for business owners and independent contractors. For new programs interested in taking child care vouchers, a W-9 form needs to be completed and uploaded with your application. (Source)

Note: If your renewal or update licensing application will not let you proceed because of a missing Tax Identification Number (TIN), contact your licensing consultant and provide them a new W-9 form. Once your W-9 has been updated in the system, wait 24 hours and then refresh the application on I-LEAD to continue the application process.