Audit Report on the Brightside Academy’s Screening of Personnel through the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This audit determined whether personnel working at the Brightside Academy’s child care center located at 331 East 150th Street in the Bronx had been properly screened through the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR).  New York City Health Code §47.19 requires that all child care center employees and volunteers undergo an SCR clearance review prior to being appointed and every two years thereafter.  Child care centers provide essential services for many New York City (City) families, including education, recreation, and a safe and structured environment for children while their parents work.

During Fiscal Year 2016 (July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016), the Brightside Academy operated an EarlyLearn NYC child care center for pre-school children (i.e., children older than two but less than five years old) at 331 East 150th Street in the Bronx under a contract with the City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).  As of the date of this report, the Brightside Academy no longer provides EarlyLearn NYC services, but is still authorized to provide other child care services.  Child care programs operating in the City, irrespective of whether they have a contract with ACS, must be licensed by the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and comply with City statutes and regulations that, among other things, require specific screening procedures for current and prospective personnel.

Audit Findings and Conclusions

We reviewed the SCR-clearance status of 23 individuals who were working as employees at the Brightside Academy’s child care center location at 331 East 150th Street in the Bronx as of December 1, 2016, the date of our unannounced visit to the center[1].   We found that for four employees, the Brightside Academy did not obtain the most recently required SCR clearances on time; the clearances were late by periods that ranged from six days to almost eight months (242 days).  We also found other areas of concern, including that the Brightside Academy did not prepare and maintain appointment letters at the child care center establishing the start dates for its new personnel (employees and volunteers) and did not consistently maintain complete and readily-available personnel files at the child care center location.

Audit Recommendations

To address these issues, the report makes a total of three recommendations, including that the Brightside Academy ensure that all of its personnel receive renewal SCR clearances within two years of their prior clearances, as required by the New York City Health Code, and that it maintain appointment letters for its new personnel, and complete and readily-available personnel files for all of its personnel at the child care centers where they work.

Agency Response

In its written response, the Brightside Academy agreed with the audit’s three recommendations and stated that it has already begun to implement them.  The full text of the Brightside Academy’s response is included as an addendum to this report.

[1] All 23 individuals were employees of the center; no volunteers worked at the center on the day of our visit.