Ohio officials don't expect the Trump administration's federal child care funding freeze for all states to immediately impact the state.
This comes after a right-wing influencer alleged fraud without any evidence at Somali-run daycares in Minnesota, sparking the Trump administration's announcement.
Jodi Norton Trimble, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, said in an emailed statement Friday that there "is no immediate impact or changes for child care providers or families who are eligible for publicly funded child care in Ohio."
"Ohio has safeguards in place to ensure the integrity of its payment system and child care providers are already required to show proof of attendance in order to receive funding," Trimble said. "The Department of Children and Youth continues to engage with our federal partners on their expectations for states."
DeWine's office said Wednesday that there are almost 5,200 state-funded childcare facilities in Ohio, and there is always the potential for fraud.
The governor said to counter that, it pays facilities based on attendance, not enrollment, paying only for days that a child is in care.
DeWine's office said the state's Department of Children and Youth has verified attendance by requiring personal identification numbers and photo IDs.
It said the department has a comprehensive review process of childcare programs that receive state dollars, including a review of family eligibility, unannounced health and safety inspections and financial management reviews.
The governor's office also said that in the past month, the Department of Children and Youth clarified that children may attend two providers only when care needs cannot be met by one.
The state also conducts random monthly case reviews and targeted reviews for high-risk practices are to begin in January.
On Wednesday, Republican state Rep. Josh Williams of Sylvania sent a letter co-signed by 41 representatives urging Department of Children and Youth Director Kara Wente to increase the number of unannounced inspections at childcare facilities, specifically in Columbus.
Columbus has the second-largest Somali population in the country, behind only the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and Minnesota.
All of this comes after right-wing content creator Nick Shirley posted a video on Dec. 26 after visiting Somali day care centers in Minnesota in an attempt to expose fraud, allegations that have been unproven.
Since then, others have tried similar approaches in Columbus.
One resulted in a social media post about a childcare facility on Route 161 on the Northeast Side.
The address caused concern on social media because a Google Maps image
shows a tobacco shop and not a childcare facility.
The state determined that the image was from 2022 and the facility did not open as a daycare until earlier this year.
The Department of Children and Youth inspected the facility in October. The facility has not yet received public funds.
Meanwhile, Columbus police have responded to eight calls after people recently started visiting local day cares and posting videos.
Those calls include two for disturbance, one for a suspicious person and one for telephone harassment.
