Early Education and Care Audit Reveals Compromised Investigations, Lack of Background Checks and Training

November 25, 2024

 

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Andrew Carden

617-631-5692

Early Education and Care Audit Reveals Compromised Investigations, Lack of Background Checks and Training

BOSTON — Today, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s Office released an audit of the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), reviewing the period from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022.

EEC’s responsibilities include licensing childcare programs, providing financial assistance for childcare services to families with low incomes, providing parenting support to families, and providing professional development opportunities to employees in the field of early education and care. The department licenses approximately 9,000 childcare-related programs that support an average of 55,000 children daily.

Among the audit’s findings is that EEC did not conduct licensing visits to residential programs within required timeframes. EEC cannot ensure that its residential programs operate within safe and healthy environments if it does not complete licensing visits within the required timeframes.

EEC also did not review or initiate investigations of all reports of suspected child abuse and neglect in its licensed programs. EEC cannot determine whether children are at risk of abuse or neglect or ensure that reported incidents are addressed if it does not investigate all reports

Moreover, EEC compromised high-risk investigations by not assigning its investigators to investigations of high-risk complaints. Assigning EEC licensors, instead of EEC investigators, to handle investigations of high-risk complaints puts children at risk because EEC licensors may lack the specialized skills and training necessary to effectively address and resolve critical safety violations involving children.

The audit also found EEC did not conduct all required background record checks for all employees of its licensed residential programs. EEC cannot ensure the safety of children in its residential programs if it does not complete background record checks for all employees from those programs in a timely manner or at all.

Furthermore, EEC did not conduct background record checks on FCC program providers and their household members. Individuals who no longer reside or work on a program’s premises may still be listed as household members in the Licensing Education Analytical Database in error, potentially leading to inaccurate background record check results. Without accurate background record checks for FCC program licensees, EEC cannot ensure the safety of the children in these programs.

EEC also did not update its language access plan every two years. Failure to regularly update the language access plan limits EEC’s ability to effectively communicate with, and serve, non-English speaking populations. This non-compliance could hinder access to vital educational services for those who rely on language assistance.

The audit found EEC did not ensure that its programs provided staff members with trainings to recognize signs of and prevent abduction, sexual exploitation, or human trafficking. If EEC does not ensure that its programs have comprehensive Runaway Policies in place, there is a higher-than-acceptable-risk that instances of sexual exploitation or human trafficking may go undetected for children in EEC’s care.

Moreover, EEC did not implement any of the inclusivity recommendations from the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. The incomplete implementation of these recommendations limits the effectiveness of EEC’s efforts to ensure a fully inclusive and supportive environment for LGBTQ youth and families in its programs.

Finally, EEC did not ensure that noncompliant funded programs submitted corrective action plans for trainings in a timely manner. The absence of EEC enforcement in requiring corrective action plans in a timely manner, and EEC’s acceptance of corrected plans without evidence that the training had actually been completed, may compromise the effectiveness of EEC Essentials training. This may lead to ongoing noncompliance, potentially endangering children in EEC care.

In addition to the conclusions we reached regarding our audit objectives, we also identified an issue not specifically addressed by our objectives regarding EEC’s late completion of 51A Report investigations. A 51A Report is an allegation of abuse or neglect of children that DCF receives from mandated reporters and the public.

Of the 60 51A Report investigations that we examined as part of our sample, 27 (45%) were completed after the established due dates. The 51A Report investigations were completed 1 day to 585 days beyond the established due dates, with an average of 131 days late. Delays in investigating 51A Reports could potentially place children at risk of abuse and neglect.

“Our Early Education and Care audit has identified serious issues that put children at risk,” said Auditor DiZoglio. “These concerns must be immediately addressed so children are protected. We urge the Administration to respond with the urgency that this matter requires and look forward to our post-audit review in six months to track progress on our recommendations.”