{"id":2527475,"date":"2025-12-31T15:42:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T20:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmaker-wants-alleged-ohio-child-care-fraud-investigated\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T15:45:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T20:45:06","slug":"lawmaker-wants-alleged-ohio-child-care-fraud-investigated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmaker-wants-alleged-ohio-child-care-fraud-investigated\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmaker wants alleged Ohio child care fraud investigated"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flawmaker-wants-alleged-ohio-child-care-fraud-investigated%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2527475&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep.Josh Williams (R\u2011Sylvania Township) is calling for an investigation into alleged fraud at <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >publicly funded child care centers<\/a> in teh Columbus area, citing reports that facilities have billed the state for children who did not attend. Pointing to a recent multimillion\u2011dollar Minnesota scandal &#8211; in wich HHS froze $185 million in daycare funding amid allegations that welfare funds were diverted to a Somali\u2011based terror group &#8211; Williams and 42 other Ohio lawmakers asked the Ohio Department of Children and Youth to conduct unannounced inspections, audit attendance and billing records, suspend payments where probable fraud is found, refer cases to prosecutors, and report findings to the legislature. Ohio received over $800 million in federal child care funds in fiscal 2024 and spends about $1.1 billion total on child care. The department did not respond to requests for comment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Lawmaker wants alleged Ohio child care fraud investigated<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2459753\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash;&nbsp;Pointing to a multimillion-dollar <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/taxes\/\">taxpayer<\/a> fraud scandal in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/minnesota\/\">Minnesota<\/a>, an Ohio lawmaker wants an investigation into the state&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/child-care\/\">child care<\/a> facilities he says are suspected of fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Township, claims there have been multiple reports alleging fraud in publicly funded child care programs that bill the state for children who don&rsquo;t attend.&nbsp;Williams specifically wants Columbus-area facilities investigated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4379173\/floridas-minimum-wage-rising-to-15-in-2026\/\">Florida&#8217;s minimum wage rising to $15 in 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4375511\/trump-veto-miccosukee-tribe-territory-expansion-everglades-alligator-alcatraz-opposition\/\">Trump vetoes law expanding Miccosukee tribe&#8217;s territory in Everglades after its opposition to &#8216;Alligator Alcatraz&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4379008\/trump-delivered-voter-base-before-midterm-elections-sarah-bedford\/\">Trump has &#8216;delivered&#8217; for his voter base ahead of midterm elections: Sarah Bedford<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s happening in Minnesota is almost certainly occurring in Columbus &ndash;&nbsp;and Ohio needs to use every power we have under the law to stop it,&rdquo; Williams said in a social media post.<\/p>\n<p>Allegations of fraud in Minnesota surfaced in November, when reports stated that millions of taxpayer dollars had been stolen from the state&rsquo;s welfare system and sent to a Somali-based terror group.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday announced it would freeze $185 million provided to Minnesota day care centers annually.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ohio received more than $800 million in federal taxpayer funds for child care services in fiscal year 2024, and the state spends a total of $1.1 billion on child care.<\/p>\n<p>A letter drafted by Williams and signed by 42 other Ohio lawmakers asks the Ohio Department of Children and Youth to conduct more unannounced inspections of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/makes-u-s-uncompetitive-funds-favored-industries-friends-analysts-rip-bidens-infrastructure-plan\/\" title=\"Makes U.S. \u2018Uncompetitive,\u2019 Funds \u2018Favored Industries, Friends\u2019: Analysts Rip Biden\u2019s Infrastructure Plan\">child care facilities<\/a> that receive state funding and audit attendance records and billing submissions to identify potential fraud. The letter requests the department suspend state payments to facilities where probable fraud or false reporting is found, refer substantiated cases to prosecutors and notify state lawmakers of the results.<\/p>\n<p>The letter claims &ldquo;widespread public reports alleging that certain child care facilities participating in publicly funded child care programs are fraudulently billing the state of Ohio for children who are not actually in attendance.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4365093\/what-expect-ai-2026\/\">WHAT TO EXPECT FOR AI IN 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These allegations raise serious concerns regarding program integrity, the responsible use of taxpayer dollars, and the overall credibility of Ohio&rsquo;s publicly funded childcare system,&rdquo; the letter reads. &ldquo;Unannounced inspections are an essential tool to identify violations, deter fraudulent practices, and reinforce confidence in the oversight of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-build-back-better-free-preschool-forces-lgbtq-activist-curriculum-on-faith-groups\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Build Back Better \u2018Free\u2019 Preschool Forces LGBTQ Activist Curriculum on Faith Groups\">publicly funded programs<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Children and Youth&nbsp;did not respond to an email from The Center Square seeking comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ohio lawmaker seeks probe of childcare fraud<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2869,"featured_media":2527476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/546ca225274455340ceaca87f2b5a52a-scaled.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[69823,3976,4333],"class_list":["post-2527475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-childcare-fraud","tag-investigation","tag-ohio"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/546ca225274455340ceaca87f2b5a52a-scaled.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2527475"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2527479,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2527475\/revisions\/2527479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2527476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2527475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2527475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2527475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}