(The following was excerpted from an article in the Single Audit Information Service.) The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families is weighing whether to require ─ not just recommend ─ that states conduct unannounced onsite monitoring visits at least annually at providers participating in the Child Care Development Fund program. Such a requirement was encouraged in a recent report on the program by the HHS Office of inspector General.

CCDF provides financial assistance for child care for about 1.6 million children each month, with about 505,000 child care providers participating in the program nationwide. ACF and the Health Resources Services Administration developed national standards for the CCDF program that “represent the best evidence, expertise and experience on quality health and safety practices and policies that should be followed in early care and educational settings.”

For a state to be eligible to receive CCDF funds, ACF must review and approve the state’s CCDF program plan every two years , and each state must certify that it has:

• licensing requirements for child care services;
• requirements designed to protect the health and safety of children being cared for by those who provide services; and
• procedures to ensure that child care providers comply with applicable health and safety requirements.

The Child Care Development Block Grant Act requires federal monitoring of each state’s compliance with its plan. Although the act does not require states to conduct routine unannounced inspections of child care providers, perform background screenings on providers or ensure providers report serious injuries that occur while a child is in care, ACF guidance instructs each state to indicate whether it performs those activities.