What started as a Minnesota problem is now spreading, and fast. After independent journalist Nick Shirley’s viral video put a spotlight on suspected daycare fraud in Minnesota, citizen investigators across the country started asking an obvious question. If this is happening there, where else is it happening?
Now the focus has landed squarely on Washington state.
A Seattle based independent researcher named Kristen Mag kicked off the latest firestorm with a series of posts on X highlighting what she described as glaring irregularities in Washington’s childcare subsidy system. According to Mag, roughly 10 percent of Washington’s licensed childcare centers eligible for state funding appear to be Somali run, despite Somalis making up an estimated 0.2 percent of the state’s population. That is not a typo. That is a statistical blaring siren.
Mag initially reported that 539 childcare centers in Washington list Somali as their primary language. Later searches refined that number to around 274, which is still enormous given the population size. Even more concerning, many of these listings reportedly lack basic information such as full street addresses or operating hours. Yet they are licensed, inspected, and plugged into Washington’s subsidy pipeline through programs like Early Achievers.
There are 539 childcare centers in Washington state that list Somali as the primary language. Most don’t even give a street address.
I don’t know how many of these are submitting fraudulent claims for state grants and subsidies, but I have a strong hunch the number is not zero. pic.twitter.com/FoUQiFNqM6
— Kristen Mag (@kristenmag) December 28, 2025
To be clear, no one is claiming all of these centers are fraudulent. But pretending this does not warrant scrutiny is absurd. This wave of attention exists because Minnesota officials spent years dismissing similar concerns until the Feeding Our Future scandal blew open, exposing hundreds of millions of dollars siphoned off through fake meal sites. Federal prosecutors there have warned that as much as $9 billion in grants may have been misused since 2018, a figure state officials still argue about while the damage is already done.
Nick Shirley’s 42 minute video showing empty daycare facilities collecting millions lit the fuse. From there, people like Mag started pulling public records and asking basic questions regulators should have asked long ago. The response online was immediate. High profile figures like Ted Cruz and Elon Musk amplified the findings, with Musk bluntly calling it “fraud-maxxing this exploit.”
Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families has not announced any special audits or inspections tied to the viral claims. Minnesota officials at least claim they are sending inspectors back into the field. That silence in Washington is not reassuring.
Right now, there are no charges filed in Washington or Ohio tied to these new allegations. But the pattern is familiar. Denial, delay, and dismissal always come first. Oversight only shows up after public outrage forces it.
Taxpayer funded childcare programs are not a suggestion. They are a responsibility. If regulators refuse to police them, citizens will. And once people start digging, they rarely stop.