Ohio child care advocates demand even MORE funding amid fraud spotlight

Child care advocates in Ohio and across the country are urging federal lawmakers to protect and even expand funding for early childhood care amid the ongoing Minnesota Somali fraud scandal and continuing investigations in Ohio.

To combat daycare fraud in Ohio, the state launched “integrity reviews” of state-funded child care programs, and lawmakers have proposed legislation. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has also said that he and his administration are fighting daycare fraud in the state after previously dismissing concerns from conservative advocates.

Despite the increased scrutiny, more than three dozen organizations, including Ohio’s early childhood advocacy group Groundwork Ohio, signed a letter this month to the federal Administration for Children and Families, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

In the letter, the organizations argue that child care resources such as the Child Care and Development Block Grant should be disbursed “without further disruption,” suggesting that Congress should “protect and prioritize child care investments” as lawmakers negotiate federal appropriations bills.

The organizations said that fraud “at any level is unacceptable and takes valuable child care away from eligible families,” and funding must be used “wisely and as intended.”

“Simultaneously, it is essential that the strong oversight and internal controls already in place to govern these resources are ensuring the funding is being used properly, and that it continues to reach hard-working, eligible families,” the child care advocates said.

The move follows allegations of fraud largely centered on the Somali community in Minnesota. The Buckeye State has the second-highest Somali population in the country.

This scandal, amplified on social media, led to a federal freeze on billions of dollars in child care funds for a handful of states, including Minnesota. Though a federal judge has since temporarily blocked that freeze, Ohio advocates worry that funding delays could affect families and providers in the state, WOSU reported.

Even though a federal judge has since temporarily blocked that freeze, which never affected the Buckeye State in the first place, Ohio child care advocates still worry that funding delays could harm child care providers and, in turn, families.

Lynanne Gutierrez of the early childhood advocacy group Groundwork Ohio told WOSU that “any delay in payment impacts providers’ ability and programs’ ability to meet payroll,” potentially affecting staffing, services, and the ability of programs to remain open.

“We certainly don’t want to see any disruption in services that would disrupt both the program and the ability for those children and families who are working, and that child who needs that steady, consistent care to not be able to access that care when they need it,” she said.