Gaps in the state's licensing requirements for child-care providers continue to put Missouri children at risk for increased illnesses, inadequate supervision and other dangers, according to a state audit issued Thursday.

The 22-page report issued by Missouri Auditor Susan Montee concluded that children in the state's 3,820 licensed day-care facilities, including at-home arrangements and more traditional centers, are at risk due to loopholes in licensing requirements, slow investigations and poor tracking of complaints.

The findings nearly replicate a similar 2002 state audit of the state's child-care provider licensing and oversight system.

"We looked to see if there were still issues, and we found that some of these same problems were still there," Montee said.

She said the state Legislature failed to take up an expansive raft of changes to licensing procedures after the first audit. They included a controversial recommendation to make the children and relatives of care providers subject to the same licensing regulations as other children.

The report stated that state laws currently allow licensed providers to exceed set enrollment limits to accommodate their own children and relatives. In at least two cases, auditors discovered arrangements in which providers, also watching their own children and relatives, were caring for nearly double the number of children for which they were licensed under the law.

The loophole means children are sometimes being cared for in overcrowded centers and homes without enough supervision, the audit stated. Children in such situations also may face additional exposure to illnesses. State law requires licensed providers to send home children with fever, diarrhea, severe coughing, pinkeye, spots or rashes or vomiting. However, providers also caring for their own sick children or sick relatives do not have to do so.

The report also criticized the inspection, investigative and punitive arms of the Department of Health and Senior Services, which is responsible for licensing child-care programs.

Full article available at STLtoday.com.