The North Carolina Online Sex Offender Registry: Awareness and Utilization by Childcare Providers

This study examined childcare providers' usage of the North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry. One hundred twenty three childcare providers in 76 counties in North Carolina were surveyed via telephone interview about their utilization of the registry Web site. Responses revealed that most providers knew about the registry (87.9%). However, over half of these providers (53.2%) did not access the Web site for work purposes. In addition, very few centers (3.2%) had a policy mandating that employees check the Web site. Based on the results of this study, the majority of childcare centers are not effectively utilizing the registry.