CONTACT:      
 Robert
Whalen    
   FOR RELEASE:        Immediately
        (212)
681-4840                July
2, 2008

DiNAPOLI REFERS 19 NYC DAYCARE PROVIDERS
TO LAW ENFORCEMENT
Audits Find Extensive Fraud; OCFS Agrees
to Make Oversight Improvements

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli
today announced his auditors found extensive incidents of suspected fraud
in state-funded daycare in New York City and his office has referred 19
cases to local law enforcement. The New York State Office of Children and
Family Services (OCFS) has embraced DiNapoli’s recommendations to improve
oversight of the programs and ensure the child daycare system is working
as intended.

“These daycare dollars are supposed to expand
services in the City and help working families by providing a safe, caring
environment for children,” DiNapoli said. “Instead, we’ve seen 47-cents
on every dollar in this expansion effort simply disappear. It’s deplorable
that individuals would seek to exploit these programs.

“New York’s children and families deserve
better, and so do taxpayers. OCFS Commissioner Carrión has been a valuable
and effective partner in using our audit to improve oversight and guard
against this kind of fraud and abuse.”

OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrión, Esq. said:
“These findings by the State Comptroller have provided me and my staff
with guidance as we work toward the goal of assuring that the tax dollars
allocated to support children and families in New York State are spent
as effectively and efficiently – and honestly – as possible. These recommendations
will go a long way toward assuring that past abuses are not repeated under
my watch.”

The law enforcement referrals stem from a
pair of Comptroller audits that examined State-funded daycare in New York
City. Auditors reviewed health, safety and fiscal issues relating to home-based
child care in New York City in an audit released in late May.

A second audit
released today examining the use of funds to create and preserve child
care slots in New York City uncovered 18 cases of suspected fraud, and
DiNapoli’s office referred those cases to District Attorneys for the counties
of the Bronx, Kings, New York, and Queens. The audit released today found
that OCFS contracts are not achieving the goal of creating and preserving
child care slots in New York City, and generally are not serving areas
of the City that have the greatest need for child care. Additionally, tax
dollars are being misspent for fraudulent purposes.

-
The audit reviewed OCFS contracts between
May 15, 1999 and August 31, 2006, during which time OCFS awarded 205 contracts
totaling $10.7 million for child care slots in New York City.

The DiNapoli audit found:

• As of May 24, 2007, contract grantees had
  created only 821, or 53 percent, of the 1,545 child care slots they had
  been paid to create. Auditors estimate this resulted in contract overpayments
  totaling $861,995.

• Contract grantees failed to preserve 330
  of the 1,888 slots that should have been preserved so that instead of attaining
  2,612 New York City daycare slots, there was a shortfall of 1,054 slots
  (which represents the 330 slots that were not preserved and the 724 slots
  that had not been created.)

• Fifty-five contractors were paid a total
  of $2.9 million between December 10, 1999 and January 17, 2007, of which
  39 misspent almost $1.6 million on expenses that were not in accordance
  with contract terms and appear to be fraudulent.

• Although an OCFS-funded needs assessment
  study in 2004 identified the top 10 New York City communities with the
  highest need for child care, only 5 of 18 contracts awarded between January
  1, 2004 and May 1, 2006 were within these 10 high-need communities.

• The misuse of contract funds and the underachievement
  of contract objectives may have been substantially reduced if OCFS had
  provided effective program outreach, contract proposal evaluation and contract
  oversight.

• OCFS lacked adequate procedures for employees
  to follow when reviewing contract requests for reimbursements, did not
  ensure that employees had sufficient knowledge and skills to properly monitor
  contract compliance, and did not require staff to conduct necessary follow-up
  and corrective actions in light of indications that grantees were not adhering
  to contract terms.

DiNapoli’s audit team made recommendations
that OCFS should:

• Seek to recover almost $2.2 million ($861,995
  paid to grantees that did not create the required slots and $1,576,228
  from grantees that did not adhere to contract terms, less $241,434 of overlapping
  expenses).

• Verify funds are being used to create and
  preserve daycare slots, as required.

• Audit all New York City daycare contracts
  to create and preserve slots not included in this audit.

• Audit future contracts to ensure compliance
  with contract terms and proper spending.

• Work with high need communities to create
  child care slots.

• Develop a written evaluation process that
  results in funding viable daycare proposals.

• Train employees to more effectively monitor
  and review contracts.

• Reimburse contract grantees only after reviewing
  and verifying documentation supporting reimbursement requests.

• Develop written procedures to consistently
  review and evaluate the need for contract extensions and budget modifications.

OCFS has agreed with and started to implement
OSC recommendations. Carrión said since taking office in January 2007 OCFS
she has:

• Created a separate Child Care Services Division.
  Recruited top managers from other divisions to execute a transparent RFP
  process.

• Convened a senior level task force to build
  new controls and implement business process improvements.

• Decreased workloads from 200 to 40 per manager
  to improve monitoring.

• Started the process of recovering monies
  from grantees as warranted.

• Contracted with than independent audit firm
  to begin additional audits in New York City.

• Directed OCFS Audit and Quality Control (ACQ)
  staff to assist independent auditor in completing audit on a continuing
  basis. A total of 21 new audits have already been initiated.

• Conducting through its ACQ unit 13 audits
  of day care grantees outside NYC.

• Tasked its Bureau of Training to design training
  for program, contract, budget and audit staff on effective monitoring of
  day care contracts.

• Teamed with OSC and trained 100 OCFS employees
  to detect fraud.

• Had its Division of Child Care Services staff
  are currently conducting information sessions to reach out to communities
  with the highest need to increase the quality of applications and to address
  the need for accountability in recordkeeping and documentation.

• Communicated with state legislators, local
  child care councils, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
  to initiate Bidders Conferences following issuance of new RFPs for improved
  transparency and accountability.

Click here
for a copy of the report and the OCFS response, or visit http:// www.osc.state.ny.us.

####

19 Daycare Criminal Referrals Made By
Comptroller DiNapoli’s Office

Brooklyn (12):
1. Footsteps Childcare, Inc.
2. Mulberry Bush Center for Child Development,
Inc.
3. Donna’s Quality Day Care, Inc.
4. Marie Carmen Daycare Center, Inc.
5. Little Red Riding Hood, Inc.
6. Building Blocks Child Care Center, Inc.
7. Flatbush Haitian Center, Inc.
8. Zion Day Care Center
9. Sanctified Church of God, Inc.
10. Educators for Children, Youth and Families,
Inc.
11. Thema Sleepover, Inc.
12. One individual home daycare provider

The Bronx (1):
13. Baychester Early Learning Center, Inc.

Manhattan (1):
14. Dr. Georgina Falu Foundation, Inc.

Queens (5):
15. Women of Faith, Inc.
16. Nu Image Family Center, Inc.
17. Kids Choice Day Care, Inc.
18. Queens Child Guidance Center, Inc.
19. Little Rascals Infants and Toddlers Day
Care Services