![[NCCIC header image]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090110000246im_/http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/assets/images/template/baby.jpg "Image of baby")
![[NCCIC Header Image]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090110000246im_/http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/assets/images/template/children_right.jpg "Image of seven children, including school-age children and a toddler")
NCCIC Library
State Efforts to Enforce Safety and Health Requirements: Report to Congressional Requesters (PDF)
By Cynthia M Fagnoni, U.S. General Accounting Office; Health, Education, and Human Services Division , Eds.
2000
Summary: Although states must certify that they have requirements to protect the health and safety of children in child care in order to receive Child Care and Development Block Grant funds, neither the scope nor stringency of these requirements has been stipulated. At the request of Congressional members, this report identifies the most critical licensing/enforcement activities that help states ensure child safety and health in child care, describes the extent to which states conduct these activities for regulated providers, and explains how states ensure that nonregulated providers receiving block grant funds meet the law's safety and health requirements. Information sources included a literature search, interviews with child care licensing experts and state/federal officials, and a national survey of state licensing directors. Among the licensing/enforcement activities recommended in the findings are criminal background checks and child abuse registry checks on prospective providers, and frequent, unannounced monitoring visits. Most states' policies for background checks and monitoring visits were consistent with recommendations. Success in following recommended practices was related to increases in staff and budgets for licensing offices. Most states reported having an array of sanctions to bring providers into compliance. The states' enforcement activities also satisfy the safety and health requirements of the block grant. For providers that states choose not to regulate, some states nevertheless conduct activities usually reserved for regulated providers; many states inform nonregulated providers of the safety and health requirements and ask them to certify that they will comply with requirements. Appendices provide tables on frequency of state licensure and monitoring visits, state child care licensing budget and full-time-equivalent staffing levels, and state caseloads.
Index Terms: Child Care Programs, Enforcement, Health Requirements, Safety Requirements, States, Licensing, Licensing Inspections, Licensing Specialists, Administration on Children and Families (ACF), National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA), National Association For the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Health and Safety Performance Standards, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Publisher: U.S. General Accounting Office; Health, Education, and Human Services Division
Publication Type: Reports (Research/technical)
Pages: 38 pages
Language: English
URL: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/he00028.pdf
ERIC Number: ED438061
Availability
U.S. General Accounting Office
P.O. Box 37050
Washington,
District of Columbia
20013
202-512-6000
FAX: 202-512-6061
info@www.gao.gov
http://www.gao.gov
Availability from EDRS: This item is available from EDRS: http://www.edrs.com/default.cfm
10530 Rosehaven St., Suite 400 • Fairfax, VA 22030 | Phone: (800) 616-2242 • Fax: (800) 716-2242 • TTY: (800) 516-2242
NCCIC is a service of the Child Care Bureau (CCB), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Administration for Children and Families(ACF), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services