Half of states receive fail grade in background checks report

A new study by the National Association of Child Care Resource shows that 26 states received a failing grade for child care center regulation and oversight, including their use of background checks, according to Fox News. No one received an ‘A’ grade and only one entity received a ‘B’ – the Department of Defense. Though child care programs receive about $10 billion a year from taxpayers, three states and the District of Columbia received a C grade. Twenty-one remaining states earned a D in the report. The report found only 10 states require comprehensive background checks, while seven states do not require child care centers to look up potential hires on the child abuse registry. “The reality is that most state licensing requirements are weak and oversight is weaker,” the organization’s director, Linda Smith, said in a written statement. “The safety of a child in child care should not depend upon the state in which the child lives.” As has been repeatedly mentioned in the MYB blog, when it comes to our children, their safety is key. The costs that are incurred by performing proper checks and screening on potential carers is incomparable to the knowledge that our children are growing up in safe and secure environments. The organization recommended that all states require comprehensive background checks, require at least 40 hours of initial training for workers and require inspection results to be posted online. It also recommended that the federal government withhold funding from states that fail to meet minimum standards.]]>