Hawaii's Monitoring Generally Ensured Child Care Provider Compliance With State Criminal Background Check Requirements

Why OIG Did This Audit

The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG Act) of 2014 added new requirements for States that receive funding from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) to conduct comprehensive criminal background checks on staff members and prospective staff members of child care providers every 5 years. Criminal background check requirements apply to any staff member who is employed by a child care provider for compensation or whose activities involve the care or supervision of children or unsupervised access to children.

Our objective was to determine whether Hawaii's monitoring of child care providers ensured provider compliance with State requirements related to criminal background checks established under the CCDBG Act.

How OIG Did This Audit

We analyzed and tested a population of 368 licensed family homes and child care centers that received CCDF funding during Federal fiscal year 2018. We used geographic area, total capacity, and total CCDF funding received to select for review 15 family homes and 15 child-care centers, for a total of 30 licensed child-care providers. In total, we reviewed supporting documentation for 550 individuals who were current employees or household members at 30 different child-care-provider locations.

What OIG Found

At 27 of the 30 child-care providers we reviewed, Hawaii's monitoring generally ensured provider compliance with State requirements related to criminal background checks established under the CCDBG Act. Of the 550 individuals whose supporting documentation we reviewed, 546 (over 99 percent) had had the required background checks completed by the time we requested the documentation and performed site visits. However, four individuals at three child-care providers had not had the required background checks conducted.

For two child-care staff members at a child care center, Hawaii officials stated that the center's director was not aware that background checks were required for minors working at the center. For one child-care staff member at a child care center, Hawaii officials stated that the staff member's background check was not performed through the State as required. For both child care centers, Hawaii sent the providers a letter reminding them that the requirement that all new staff undergo criminal background checks within 5 days of hire is a condition of licensure. In addition, for one child-care staff member at a child care center, Hawaii officials stated that the staff member's background check was not conducted because of an oversight by a licensing worker. Although this staff member was fingerprinted, the licensing unit did not perform the background check. Hawaii requested that the licensing unit responsible for the provider submit a written corrective action plan to ensure that criminal background checks are completed for all staff who have been fingerprinted. Hawaii officials informed us that these four child-care staff members were no longer employed at the child care centers.

What OIG Recommends and Hawaii Comments

We recommend that Hawaii confirm that the licensing unit responsible for the child-care-center provider that did not complete a required criminal background check has implemented a corrective action plan to ensure that background checks are completed for all staff who have been fingerprinted.

In written comments on our draft report, Hawaii stated that, in general, it concurred with our findings. Hawaii also provided information on actions that it had taken to address our recommendation, such as adding a second support staff person to assist with conducting the background checks.