Moving to address concerns raised by the state auditor, the state's early childhood agency has improved the monitoring of the millions of dollars in state and federal funds it distributes to child care providers, a spokesman said yesterday.
The Department of Early Education and Care restructured its fiscal monitoring unit, hired a new director for it, and increased staff. It is also in the process of resuming onsite visits intended to ensure that the funds are being used properly, said spokesman Matt Veno.
The agency administered nearly $460 million in state aid and federal grants last year to provide financial assistance to low-income working families for child care and early childhood education programs.
The agency commented after State Auditor A. Joseph DeNucci released a report yesterday, calling for it to do a better job of making sure that funds are going only to eligible families.
"In this time of limited resources, we must make sure that these critical services for children go only to families that truly need assistance," he said in a statement. The report focused on the agency's activities during fiscal year 2007.
DeNucci criticized the agency's decision to suspend onsite visits to providers in January 2007, saying that without them it was highly unlikely inappropriate costs would be identified. But he said he was encouraged by the agency's response when auditors informed officials of their concerns.