Finding Text
Name of Federal Agency: United States Department of Health and Human Services Federal Program Name: Early Head Start (EHS) Assistance Listing Number 93.600 Federal Award Identification Number and Year: 04CH011372-04 - 2023 04CH011372-05 - 2024 Name of Pass-through Entity: N/A Criteria Program regulations and contracts require timely submission of SF-425 FFR reports to the regulatory agent as specified in 2 CFR section 200.328. Condition Durham’s Partnership for Children did not submit timely SF-425 FFR reports related to ongoing 2023 and 2024 EHS grants. Cause Management does not have controls in place to ensure timely data compilation and reporting. Effect or Potential Effect Management is not in compliance with the program guidelines requiring timely reporting to the regulatory agent. Questioned Costs: None Context During testing of the reporting compliance requirement for EHS, it was noted that there were severe delays in submission of all required reports for the current year. Identification of Repeat Finding: This finding is a repeat finding (see prior year finding number 2024-002). Recommendation Management should implement procedures to ensure timely submission of required reports to the regulatory agent. Reporting Views of Responsible Officials The Partnership has hired a new Chief Financial Officer with experience in federal grant management and reporting, including Early Head Start. All reporting requirements for the continuing EHS grants have been completed and submitted timely. Head Start system alerts are reviewed as they are received, and the CFO actively monitors upcoming reporting due dates on a monthly basis to ensure continued compliance. In addition, for fiscal year 2025–26 the Chief Financial Officer has updated financial policies and procedures, re-established a Finance Committee for oversight, and implemented monthly financial reporting to the Board of Directors. These actions strengthen governance, improve compliance monitoring, and are expected to result in the finding being fully resolved in future audits.