dpWASHINGTON (TNND) — Somali home daycares in Seattle have allegedly received more than $5 million in taxpayer funds in a potential fraud scheme, according to a report.
The Post Millennial posted a video on X on Monday that showed reporter Katie Daviscourt visiting Somali home daycares in Seattle to determine if they were legitimate.
“Could there be millions of dollars of potential misuse of taxpayer funds?” TPM posted on X. “When she knocked on doors, often no one answered and if they did they were hostile and defensive. Neighbors say they have never seen any kids! These individual daycares are receiving $40,000 – $70,000 per month.”
Daviscourt visited Daisy Family Childcare, which she said was “a modern mansion in a low-income, dangerous neighborhood, and this home childcare, which looks like it doesn’t belong in the area, has garnered nearly $2 million dollars and is banking almost $70,000 per month of taxpayer funds.”
No one appeared to be at the daycare when Daviscourt visited around noon.
Aboo Family Daycare in Seattle received more than $1.1 million in taxpayer funds and gets about $40,000 a month, according to public records, TPM reported. No one answered the door when Daviscourt rang the Ring doorbell to investigate the daycare. However, she said that neighbors told her that they had “not seen any kids in years.”
“Have you seen any kids go into that daycare?” Daviscourt asked an elderly neighbor.
“Oh, hell, no. There’s no kids going in there,” the man said.
“No?” she asked.
“It’s all bullsh-t,” he said.
“Oh, really?” Daviscourt said.
“Oh, yeah, it’s been that way. I’ve known about it for quite a while. When they first moved in, there were kids there. But not lately. There’s no kids coming in and out of there,” the man replied.
Daviscourt asked the man, “How do you feel having this in your neighborhood?”
“I don’t like it. I think it’s unfair. They get that, and they’re driving a brand-new Mercedes,” he said.
When Daviscourt visited Paradise Home Daycare to ask questions, a woman said she was calling the police.
Daviscourt approached Hormuud Home Family Daycare and found two women outside who refused to answer her questions and told her to “get a life” and that it was none of her business.
“If I wanted to bring my kid here, could they attend?” Daviscourt asked them.
“Literally, you’re not looking for a kid,” the first woman said, pointing to the camera.
“If you’re looking like this, how I accept you? If you looking like this, how you will your kids get accepted?” the second woman asked.
“I can’t?” Daviscourt asked.
“You can’t,” the second woman replied.
“I have to be a Muslim?”Daviscourt asked.
“Go to the public daycare,” the first woman said.
Daviscourt said in a voice-over that, according to records, “Hormuud Family Daycare is part of the Seattle preschool program, and to their benefit, a neighbor did vouch for them, saying that he has seen kids.”
A man near another daycare asked Daviscourt as she was walking up, “Are you guys Trump people?”
“No,” Daviscourt said.
“What are you guys looking for, then?” he asked.
“We’re checking all the daycares,” Daviscourt responded.
“You’re haters. Get outta here. Just get outta here, please. Get outta here,” he said.
As Daviscourt rang the doorbell of a daycare next door to the man, he could be heard saying,
“There’s Trump people out. They’re haters. Rednecks are here. Haters.”
A neighbor down the block told Daviscourt that she is aware of the many daycares in the area but that she believes it is mainly family members who watch each other’s children.
In July, The Center Square found that the Washington State Auditor’s Office reported that more than $413 million in childcare payments could not be fully tracked. Approximately $37 million was identified by the office in questionable payments last year because required attendance documentation was missing or incomplete.
The report on questionable daycares in Seattle receiving taxpayer funds comes after federal agents raided 22 Minnesota businesses, including daycares, in April over fraud allegations.
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