NEW YORK, NY February 01, 2006 —A Bronx mother and her boyfriend have been arrested for allegedly beating to death 4-year-old Quachon Brown. Meanwhile the Administration for Children's Services says caseworkers investigating the family followed proper guidelines. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

The family of Quachon Brown had a long history with the Administration for Children's Services. The agency had received 8 reports on them since 1996. The latest complaint came from P.S. 280 in November and stated Quachon's 3 older sisters were frequently absent, hungry and without adequate clothing. Since then, ACS says, a caseworker visited the home 4 times -- including just two weeks ago and the boy's mother, Alicia Smith, arrested for manslaughter, had recently finished a child safety class.

ACS says it was unaware of her 18-year-old boyfriend, Jose Calderone who now faces a murder charge. Agency head John Mattingly says the chronic neglect should have prompted a stronger response but nothing suggests the agency failed to act in a way that may have prevented the 4 year old's death.