Staff & Volunteer Safety
Everything you need to get ready to serve at Sprouts.
Every employee and volunteer completes a meaningful safety process before serving. This page puts the required checks, forms, health documents, and training links in one place.
Start with the required safety checklist. Brookline Sprouts will confirm any additional steps that apply to your role.
Begin Here
Work or volunteer with a team that takes safety seriously.
The checklist below is intentionally thorough. It protects children, supports families, and helps every person serving at Sprouts understand the same expectations.
Paid Employment
Interested in joining the staff?
Review current classroom, kitchen, facility, and support opportunities, then complete the employment application.
See Jobs and ApplyVolunteer Service
Interested in volunteering?
Call or email first so we can discuss current needs, scheduling, supervision, and which requirements apply.
Required For Staff & Volunteers
Complete the core safety packet.
These checks and documents establish the basic safety record for people serving in our child-care environment. Choose the employment or volunteer version when a site asks.
PA State Police Criminal History
Use the official ePATCH system and choose the option that matches how you will serve:
- Volunteers: choose “New Volunteer Record Check.” The resulting certificate is valid only for unpaid volunteer service and cannot be used for paid employment.
- Employees and new hires: choose “Submit a New Record Check,” then select “Employment” as the reason for the request.
Do not select “Individual Access and Review”; ePATCH states that option is not for employment purposes.
Open ePATCH and start the correct check →PA Child Abuse History
Use the Child Welfare Portal. When applying, select the correct purpose: employment or volunteer.
Open the Child Welfare Portal →FBI Fingerprinting
Copy the correct service code before opening IdentoGO. You must enter the code when you pre-register so your fingerprint check is processed for the correct DHS purpose.
Employees and new hires1KG738Child Care Services/Program Employee or Contractor
Unpaid volunteers1KG6ZJDHS Volunteer
Do not guess or select another agency’s code. Pennsylvania DHS states that an FBI check completed for another department or purpose cannot be used for DHS child-care requirements.
- Copy the code above that matches your role.
- Open IdentoGO and enter that code exactly when you pre-register.
- Schedule your fingerprint appointment and bring an acceptable form of identification.
National Sex Offender Registry
Complete the NSOR application. The application requires a handwritten signature; admissions can help with printing.
Open NSOR instructions and form →Signed Disclosure Statement
Use the correct form for your role. The employment form is normally witnessed when you report in person.
References, Age & Address
Provide two non-family reference letters with the writer’s contact information, proof of age, and your current home address.
A reference should explain how long the writer has known you, your character, and, when applicable, how you interact with children.
Out-of-State Checks, When Applicable
If you currently live outside Pennsylvania or have legally resided outside Pennsylvania during the previous five years, additional criminal history, sex-offender registry, and child abuse/neglect checks may be required. Contact admissions before beginning these state-specific steps.
Review Pennsylvania out-of-state guidance →Timing and renewals
- Send admissions proof that required background checks have been submitted before your first day.
- New-hire checks and reports generally must be less than 12 months old on the first day.
- Background checks, NSOR, and disclosure documents are renewed on the schedule required by Pennsylvania and Brookline Sprouts; the current internal cycle is every five years.
- Do not begin serving or assume approval until Brookline Sprouts confirms your status and supervision plan.
Health Report & TB Documentation
Bring the official health form to your provider.
Kitchen staff and direct-care staff complete the Pennsylvania Child Care Staff Health Assessment. Depending on your role and records, admissions may also require initial TB documentation.
Official Pennsylvania Form
Child Care Staff Health Assessment
Download the form and confirm your job activities with Brookline Sprouts before your medical appointment. A physician, physician assistant, or CRNP completes the clinical section.
Close To Brookline
CVS MinuteClinic in Mt. Lebanon
328 Cochran Road, Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228
This MinuteClinic lists TB testing, online scheduling, and walk-in availability. Its skin test requires a return visit for the reading.
- Plan to return 48 to 72 hours after a skin test is placed
- Schedule online or ask about walk-in availability
- Confirm the needed test with admissions before your visit
County Clinic
Allegheny County Health Department TB Clinic
425 First Ave., First Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
The county offers routine TB skin screening for employment and school. Appointments are encouraged; same-day walk-in availability can vary.
- Call 412-578-8162 for an appointment
- Review current screening days and hours before traveling
- The clinic states that it does not provide the Quantiferon blood test
Please confirm before you go: Hours, availability, and services can change. Use the official links or call the provider for current information.
Additional Role Requirements
Your role may add training and documentation.
Complete the core safety packet above first. Admissions or your supervisor will confirm which items below apply and the deadline for each one.
Facility & Non-Instructional Staff
Child-safety training
- Complete Pennsylvania Mandated Reporter Training and save your completion certificate.
- Complete Penn State Better Kid Care’s Non-instructional Staff: Create a Positive Climate for Children course when assigned. This course is about child development, appropriate interactions with children, safety procedures, and emergency readiness.
- If administration directs you to do so, create a PA Professional Development Registry account and complete the assigned profile sections.
Kitchen Staff
Kitchen safety and required training
- Complete the health report and TB documentation described above.
- Complete Pennsylvania Mandated Reporter Training and save your completion certificate.
- Complete the food-safety, USDA child-nutrition, civil-rights, and emergency-plan courses assigned by your supervisor.
- Use the Child Nutrition Toolbox when you are given an assigned course.
All Direct-Care Staff
Education, experience, registry, and health-and-safety training
- PA Required Health and Safety for Centers/Group Child Care, Parts 1 and 2, through Better Kid Care.
- High-school diploma/GED or documentation of the highest education completed.
- Documentation of prior hours working with children. Use the Child Care Employment Verification Form when needed.
- Create and complete required sections of your PA Professional Development Registry profile.
- Complete the Keystone STARS overview course.
- Complete assigned fire-safety training.
- Complete Pediatric CPR/First Aid with a PQAS instructor; it may be blended or in person, but not virtual-only.
- Complete required annual continuing education and assigned curriculum, screening, and assessment-tool training.
Send Completed Documents
Email your paperwork to admissions.
Use a clear subject such as Staff Documents: Your Name or Volunteer Documents: Your Name. Label each attachment so staff can identify it quickly.
Protect your information: Do not email account passwords, full Social Security numbers, tax forms, or banking information. Ask admissions if you are unsure how a sensitive document should be delivered.