KATIE COOK: Crushing Honest Daycare Providers With Insane Rules While Pouring Millions Into Centers That Don’t Exist

Image not from story. (Photo by RYAN COLLERD/AFP via Getty Images)

Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) was intended to support working families by subsidizing childcare costs. Instead, it stands out as an example of everything wrong with government. Cumbersome regulations burden honest providers, while fraudsters exploit the program to steal millions from taxpayers.

Recent events in Minnesota highlight the problem. In late 2025, independent journalist Nick Shirley went viral for filming visits to several Minneapolis childcare centers—some with misspelled signs like “Quality Learing Center.” These centers had received significant CCAP funds but all appeared empty during operating hours. While state investigations found many centers were licensed and compliant (some closed temporarily or served shift workers), the video reignited scrutiny and concern about rampant fraud.

This scrutiny revealed deeper issues. A May 2025 federal audit by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General examined 200 randomly selected CCAP payments from 2023. The audit pointed to inadequate oversight of attendance records,........

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