IG: Lack of clarity and the absence of an updated special use permit has led to potentially inconsistent implementation of health and safety standards. Image: ChiccoDodiFC/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffAn inspector general report has called for more clarity regarding requirements for childcare centers at National Park Service facilities and who is responsible for making decisions about requirements, saying there is “a general ambiguity about roles and responsibilities that may affect the NPS’ ability to ensure a safe and appropriate childcare setting.”
Auditors said that in the course of other work, they came across questions as to whether two of the facilities, at Yosemite National Park, are subject to oversight by California “and, if not, what requirements apply to these centers and what entity should enforce those requirements.” Further, the special use permit allowing them to operate had not been updated since 2021, they said.
“The lack of clarity and the absence of an updated special use permit has led to potentially inconsistent implementation of health and safety standards (including fire inspections). The lack of clarity has also led to unresolved questions regarding staffing, training requirements, and the two buildings in which the childcare center operates (for example, the buildings’ square footage),” the report said.
It said that on expanding the review to centers in other facilities, it found no other cases of uncertain licensing requirements. However, some of them were operating under authorities other than special use permits that “contain inconsistent language regarding health and safety requirements and the level of required NPS involvement and oversight.”
For example, some of those arrangements do not spell out responsibilities for routine health, safety, and fire inspections and some do not reference the agency’s governing policy—which “itself is both generalized and almost 40 years old.”
It said management agreed with recommendations including clarifying oversight roles between the NPS and state governments, ensuring consistent oversight of the centers and issuing new guidance for health and safety inspections.
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