Ohio Republicans are exploring different ways to crack down on what they suspect is widespread fraud in government-funded child care — from implementing mandatory state surveillance of child care centers to requiring that photos be taken of children each day so the state can verify their attendance.
Hatched amid a right-wing social media frenzy over fraud claims, the proposals have sparked alarm among advocates for child care providers who fear higher costs and the stigmatization of government-subsidized care. Many centers rely on federal and state dollars to serve the children of low-income workers.
In a sign of how contentious the proposals could be, the lead sponsors of one Ohio bill are already backing off their plan to require child care centers to install cameras in their common areas and provide the state’s Department of Children and Youth with live access to the feeds. That bill amassed 26 Republican co-sponsors before its lead sponsors decided to rework it.
“This is just an attempt to further defund the child care system,” said Tami Lunan, director of the Care Economy Organizing Project, an advocacy group representing Ohio child care providers. “What we’re really concerned about is that they will try to replicate these policies in other places.”
In a viral video from December, conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley purported to expose rampant scamming among Somali-born child care providers in Minnesota who receive government funds. The storyline was promoted by high-profile figures across the right, including Vice President JD Vance, even though state officials there said the video was misleading.
“We’re in the age of the Epstein files. Anything can happen.””
– State Rep. Ashley Bryant Bailey (D)
The fight in Ohio shows how the anger on the right has spread well beyond Minnesota.
Ohio Rep. Josh Williams (R), a lead sponsor of the bill proposing surveillance, told JS he’s trying to reach a compromise with child care providers while taxpayers demand legislators do something.
“Constituents were calling for an end to all publicly funded child care until we get a complete audit of the system,” said Williams, who represents parts of the Toledo area. “But we know how detrimental that would be to our workforce.”
After meeting with providers, Williams said he is already moving away from the “full-blown camera system usage” laid out in his bill. He noted that parents who benefit from subsidies already have their image taken each time they sign in and out on tablets at their child care centers. He plans to propose using the tablets to take photos of the kids instead.
“There’s no proof that the child is actually present — that’s what a lot of our voters and taxpayers are wanting,” he said.
Child care is incredibly expensive throughout the country, with an average annual cost of $12,351 for an infant in Ohio, according to the group Groundwork Ohio, which advocates for early childhood education. The federal government provides funding to help low-income workers meet these costs, with states administering the programs and providing some amount of matching funds. Providers that serve qualifying families receive reimbursements based on attendance.
Although investigations have shown some degree of fraud, as well as what are likely honest bookkeeping mistakes, child care advocates say the prevalence of scammers across the country is likely nowhere near the degree being portrayed by right-wing influencers.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, tried to calm the public in the wake of the Minnesota controversy. There are about 5,200 centers across Ohio that receive public funding. DeWine said his state had conducted more than 10,000 unannounced visits of child care centers throughout 2025, resulting in 38 closures, and that there was a “comprehensive review process” in place to help prevent fraud.
Photo by Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images
While he encouraged the public to submit tips, DeWine also seemed to acknowledge that a lot of fraud vigilantes seemed to be jumping to conclusions.
“For example, [the state] received a social media tip regarding a childcare facility in Columbus on State Route 161,” he said in a statement. “This address has caused concern on social media because the Google Maps image of the address shows a tobacco shop and not a childcare facility. After investigating the tip, [the state] determined that the Google Maps image was from 2022. The facility did not open as a daycare until earlier this year.”
Williams got some pushback from Democrats on his photo proposal in a House hearing Tuesday. Rep. Ashley Bryant Bailey of Cincinnati said she worried about images getting in the wrong hands, and that using existing tablets rather than live camera feeds didn’t eliminate that fear.
“We’re in the age of the Epstein files,” Bryant Bailey said. “Anything can happen.”
Ali Smith, senior project coordinator at the progressive research group Policy Matters Ohio, told JS the photo idea “makes providers and their parents nervous.”
“There has to be a better way other than taking pictures of kids and invading their privacy like that,” she said.
Smith is also concerned about due process for child care providers in the current environment. The text of the bill debated Tuesday calls for funding to be yanked in the event of “probable or suspected waste, fraud or abuse” (emphasis added), leaving her to wonder whether an influencer’s video on YouTube might suffice.
“It all seems reactionary and short-sighted. We already have huge child care deserts in Ohio.”
– Ali Smith, senior project coordinator at Policy Matters Ohio
Asked what kind of due process people should expect, Williams told JS the state’s Department of Children and Youth would determine when exactly a provider’s funding would be cut off. He said a preliminary investigation — as opposed to a “full-blown investigation” — should be enough to pull the funds if it suggests fraud.
“It doesn’t mean if the allegations turn out to be [untrue] that funds can’t be turned back on,” he said.
A separate GOP bill in Ohio would make it easier for the state to stop payments if there is “reason to suspect” misuse of funds. It would also block the state from moving toward enrollment-based child care reimbursements, keeping the current system based on attendance. Backers say payments contingent on enrollment are more reliable and consistent for providers.
“It all seems reactionary and short-sighted,” Smith said of both bills. “We already have huge child care deserts in Ohio. … I’m in Appalachia where there are whole counties that do not have a center that takes publicly funded child care. Some people rely on in-home providers. A couple of those closing could be a really big issue.”
Smith’s group has been urging lawmakers to tap the brakes on any plans, believing the panic over alleged fraud to be a dangerous climate for crafting legislation.
In the hearing Tuesday, one House lawmaker, Republican Tracy Richardson, floated an alternative to taking photos of children.
“I, too, agree photos of children is a sensitive issue, and where those photos land is a sensitive issue,” Richardson said. “But here’s a thought: Why not fingerprint?”
Republican Rep. D.J. Swearingen, a lead sponsor of the bill alongside Williams, didn’t embrace the idea on the spot. He acknowledged they were navigating “sensitive” terrain. But he said he was certain lawmakers could come up with a low- or no-cost plan that parents and child care providers would be comfortable with.
“I think anything we do with kids is rightfully going to be under a microscope, whether it’s pictures, fingerprinting, any number of things, because rightfully that’s a very sensitive topic,” Swearingen said in the hearing. “I don’t want anybody to take pictures of my kids. There’s all kinds of freaks and weirdos out there.”
