Reference Number: 2025-019 Prior Year Finding: 2024-020 Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services State Agency: Agency of Human Services Federal Program: CCDF Cluster Assistance Listing Number: 93.575, 93.596 Award Number and Year: 2401VTCCDD (10/1/2023 – 9/30/2026) 2501VTCCDD (10...
Reference Number: 2025-019 Prior Year Finding: 2024-020 Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services State Agency: Agency of Human Services Federal Program: CCDF Cluster Assistance Listing Number: 93.575, 93.596 Award Number and Year: 2401VTCCDD (10/1/2023 – 9/30/2026) 2501VTCCDD (10/1/2024 – 9/30/2027) Compliance Requirement: Special Tests and Provisions – Health and Safety Requirements Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control Over Compliance, Material Noncompliance Recommendation: We recommend that the Agency review and enhance training monitoring procedures and controls to ensure that all child care providers complete required health and safety training. The Agency should update its training content to include all required elements and ensure that provider corrective action plans and documentation are properly maintained. Site visit documentation should clearly indicate the results of training requirement monitoring. Views of responsible officials: Management agrees with the finding. Corrective Action Plan: DCF-CDD continues their rule revision process and now has the added support of a project manager and legal counsel. The revision process has been rigorous, and the rules have undergone several drafts. The public has had another opportunity to provide feedback on the latest draft prior to the formal promulgation process. Additionally, CDD received technical assistance from our federal partners to ensure our rule revisions met all CCDF requirements and will continue to refer to this document as we move the rules towards promulgation. The proposed rules will address the findings documented in this audit related to the federal requirement that pre-service orientation includes the required eleven (11) healthy and safety topics which staff will be required to complete, “before being left alone with children, counted in staff to child ratios, or within one (1) month of starting employment, whichever comes first.” DCF-CDD submitted an RFP for a new pre-service orientation training to include all the required health and safety topics that must be covered within the first month of employment. CDD will continue to work with the apparent successful bidder to ensure these modules are available to the field in 2026. DCF-CDD licensing unit will review the results of the single audit with licensing staff and our partners at Northern Lights at CCV (NL). CDD will begin a shift in our site visit preparation process that includes NL providing the division with a complete list of staff who have and who have not completed the required number of annual training hours. CDD licensing will document deficiencies in site visit reports and will require a plan from the providers to come into compliance. Scheduled Completion Date of Corrective Action Plan: DCF-CDD anticipates the licensing rules will be submitted to ICAR on February 20, 2026. This date may need to shift dependent on legal counsel’s final review of the rules and the weeks needed to prepare the documents required at this stage in the promulgation. CDD will be provided with a promulgation timeline which we aim to have completed before the end of 2026. DCF-CDD will seek outside contractual support to develop guidance manuals and training for the field on the rule changes, which includes shifts in required pre-service orientation topics. DCF-CDD pre-service orientation modules are scheduled to be completed within six (6)-nine (9) months from when the contract has been signed between the SOV and the apparent successful bidder. DCF-CDD will implement the site visit preparation practice shift by April-May 2026. This work requires NL staff to shift job responsibilities to accommodate the ongoing training review of the staff for all providers. By January 26, 2026, CDD director of child care licensing will meet with the licensing supervisors to review the results of this audit, review the CAP, and establish a plan for supervisory oversight at it relates to licensors documenting training deficiencies when conducting site visits. By January 27, 2026, CDD director of child care licensing will meet with the licensing unit to review the results of this audit, review the CAP, discuss the shift in site visit preparation practice as we partner with NL who will be reviewing compliance with annual training hours, and discuss the expectations around how deficiencies must be documented in annual site visit reports. Contacts for Corrective Action Plan: Beth Maurer, Director of Child Care Licensing, elizabeth.maurer@vermont.gov Kelly Lyford, Licensing Supervisor, kelly.lyford@vermont.gov Janet McLaughlin, CDD Deputy Commissioner, janet.mclaughlin@vermont.gov Dawn Rouse, Director of Statewide Systems, dawn.rouse@vermont.gov Peter Moino, AHS Director of Internal Audit, peter.moino@vermont.gov