About $5 million in federal child care funds, money that keeps 124,000 kids in Washington learning while their parents work, was paused because a handful of Minnesota providers are under investigation.
Let’s be clear, fraud should be prosecuted. Freezing an entire industry’s oxygen over allegations that touch 0.03% of programs is like shutting down every highway because one crew stole asphalt.
Childcare is already the most audited space most people never think about. Random licensing visits, quarterly attendance audits, fingerprint background checks, IRS 990s. Providers drown in paperwork while earning less than dog groomers. The result is 1,200 Washington centers have closed since 2020, not for breaking rules, but because rules plus under funding made it impossible to stay open.
When classrooms disappear, parents cut hours or quit jobs, employers lose talent, and state GDP takes a $2.3 billion annual hit. That’s not a “family issue”; it’s an economic crash programmed in slow motion.
Today it’s a political headline; tomorrow it’s the rural faith-based preschool that takes subsidy kids in your county. Fraud is the excuse; dismantling childcare is the agenda.
Call lawmakers today. Tell them to release the funds, keep the audits and don’t let Washington families pay for Minnesota’s paperwork fight.