Sex Offenders Are at Child Care Facilities, Report Says

A new report from State Auditor Suzanne Bump suggests a surprisingly large number of sex offenders statewide may be living in properties also used as childcare facilities.

According to the report, the recent audit found 119 Level 2 and 3 sex offenders living at addresses that were also registered with the state as child care providers. The audit covered July 2010 through September 2011.

"While we recognize that all 119 may not pose a problem because some of the information in the sex offender registry may be outdated, we believe that routinely conducting this match will serve to better ensure the safety of children in (Department of Early Education and Care's) programs," the report states.

Meanwhile, the report does not provide information on how many Level 1 sex offenders may be living at registered child care facilities, in part because their lower rating currently affords them greater anonymity in the eyes of the law. 

In other findings, the state audit found that "EEC is not ensuring that its licensed child care providers are performing the required Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) checks on their staff, both at the point of hire and then every three years." A sample found that CORI checks had not been performed for 15 of 152 child care workers. The report touched on a number of other matters, from concerns about untested well water at two state-run facilities and unannounced inspections apparently not being carried out at large state-run homes.

"There is no excuse and no justification for allowing sex offender information to be inaccurate, outdated, or inaccessible, and it’s time for comprehensive reform and legislative action," said State Senate Republican Leader Bruce Tarr in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

"I am extremely disheartened that it takes reports like the one published by State Auditor Suzanne Bump to expose glaring deficiencies within certain state agencies when it comes to protecting Massachusetts' children and families," added House Republican Brad Jones in a statement during the afternoon. 

Click here to read the auditor's report.