Some Arizona Child Daycare Centers Did Not Always Comply With State Health and Safety Licensing Requirements

Although the Arizona Department of Health Services (State licensing agency) conducted the required inspections at the three licensed child daycare centers (providers) that we reviewed, this onsite monitoring did not ensure that each provider that received Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) funds complied with one or more State licensing requirements to ensure the health and safety of children. Specifically, all three providers did not comply with requirements related to the physical conditions of daycare centers, two providers did not comply with supervision requirements, one provider did not comply with transportation requirements, and two providers did not comply with requirements for criminal records checks of employees.

We recommended that the Arizona Department of Economic Security (the State lead agency designated to administer the CCDF program) work with the State licensing agency to (1) ensure through effective monitoring that providers comply with all health and safety requirements, (2) inspect all unlocked rooms that are accessible to children to ensure that providers are complying with State health and safety requirements, and (3) develop a policy requiring that providers' employee fingerprint clearance cards be independently verified with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The State lead agency concurred with our findings and recommendations.