WASHINGTON — Three Colorado Head Start centers were cited in newly released audits for failing to adequately conduct or document employee background checks and minor safety violations.
Head Start operators in Longmont and Saguache and at Cerebral Palsy of Colorado, which has facilities in several towns, were visited by inspectors as long ago as 2008. All three had some documented problems such as broken windows, chipped paint or uncovered electrical outlets.
But the local problems paled in comparison to some of those found across the country, like a maintenance worker’s machete knife left near an outdoor play area, household chemicals accessible to preschoolers and widespread failures to conduct criminal-background checks of employees.
These violations and others were found at Head Start centers across the country, according to the report released today by the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. Head Start is the federal program with roots in President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty that now provides early-education services to nearly 1 million poor kids nationwide. The federal government gives grant dollars to public, nonprofit and for-profit programs to provide the services.
The Cerebral Palsy Center in Florence perhaps had the most serious of the Colorado violations — cleaning products found during a 2009 inspection left in an unlocked cabinet accessible to children. The center acknowledged the problem and said all safety violations were corrected by mid-2010.
The IG’s review was compiled using 24 audits of Head Start grantees running 175 facilities in eight states from May 2009 to October 2010. While the review was of just a fraction of the approximately 1,600 Head Start grantees, it still raises red flags about the safety of children in such programs.
All told, according to the review:
• Twenty-one of 24 grantees did not comply fully with federal Head Start or state requirements to conduct criminal and other background checks.
• Nearly 90 percent of the facilities had toxic chemicals such as markers labeled “keep out of reach of children” and cleaning supplies accessible to children.
• More than 70 percent had open or broken gates leading to parking lots, streets or unsupervised areas and inadequate or broken fences.
• More than half had playground equipment that was not in good repair, with problems such as protruding bolts, broken climbing apparatuses and elevated platforms without protective guards.
The IG recommended that the Administration for Families and Children, which falls under HHS and oversees Head Start, conduct onsite monitoring to ensure that centers comply with health and safety regulations.
Of the 24 grantees audited, three have since had Head Start dollars revoked and the others corrected the deficiencies, the Administration for Families and Children said. It also said it is reviewing suggested policy changes.
