Do you need to get a background check from the Office of Early Childhood (OEC)? If you do and you lived outside of Connecticut within the last 5 years, you also need to request a background check from the state you lived in. It’s a key step in completing your OEC background check. You can’t work in a program unsupervised until your background check status is either “work supervised” or “current.”
To get a background check from Texas, you have to do 3 things:
- Step 1: Request a Texas Criminal History Check
- Step 2: Request a Texas Child Abuse/Neglect Registry Check
Request a Texas Criminal History Check
1. Create an account on the state’s Criminal History Conviction Name Search
The Texas Department of Public Safety created this site for people to do their own searches.
2. Buy a credit to pay for the search
To search for a name on the site, you need to buy a credit with a credit card. 1 credit (for 1 search) costs $3.00 plus service fees.
If you have problems paying for your credit, get help from the website’s support team.
3. Search for your name and download the report
Once you’ve paid, you can start the search.
4. Send the report to us
Email the results to oec.bc@ct.gov.
If you prefer, you can also send it:
- By fax: 860-326-0555 ATTN: Legal Division (Background Checks)
- By mail:
ATTN: Legal Division (Background Checks)
Office of Early Childhood
450 Columbus Blvd, Suite 303
Hartford, CT 06103
Step 2: Request a Texas Child Abuse/Neglect Registry Check
1. Complete the form
Download Form 500-2970 Request for Texas Child Abuse/Neglect Registry
Then, you can either:
- Complete it in Microsoft Word and print it out
- Print it out and fill it in manually (by hand)
Don’t sign the form yet — see the next step below.
2. Bring the form to a notary public
Notary publics are people appointed by the state to act as official witnesses. Search online to find a notary public near you. They’re often available at banks, libraries, post offices, or shipping centers.
When you go to the notary, you need to bring:
- The form
- Legal identification
The notary public will look at your ID and ask a few questions. When they tell you to, sign the form. The notary will then stamp or seal the form, making it official.
3. Send the completed, notarized form to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)
You can send it 3 ways:
- Email: TXAbuseNeglectBGC@dfps.texas.gov
- Fax: 512-339-5829
- Mail:
DFPS Background Checks M/C 121-7
PO Box 149030
Austin, TX 78714-9030
4. Wait for an email with your results
If the background check shows you don’t have a record:
Texas will send you and OEC a letter saying that you are not listed in the Texas Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry). You don’t need to do anything else.
If the background check shows you do have a record:
Texas will send you a letter saying you are listed in the Texas Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry. They will not send a letter to OEC. It’s your responsibility to inform OEC by emailing the results to oec.bc@ct.gov.
If you prefer, you can also send us the letter:
- By fax: 860-326-0555 ATTN: Legal Division (Background Checks)
- By mail:
ATTN: Legal Division (Background Checks)
Office of Early Childhood
450 Columbus Blvd, Suite 303
Hartford, CT 06103
What’s next?
We’ll consider the results of your results along with rest of your background check.
In the meantime, make sure to complete the other steps in the background check process.