COLUMBUS, Ohio (WLIO) — Gov. Mike DeWine is defending Ohio’s policies surrounding publicly funded child care, saying the state has safeguards in place to prevent fraud.
During a one-on-one interview with Your Hometown Stations ahead of a Monday afternoon press conference, DeWine addressed concerns about child care funding fraud. Recent allegations involving Minnesota’s child care program have drawn attention to how states oversee federal child care subsidies.
DeWine said Ohio has about 5,200 child care facilities with one or more children receiving subsidies. While fraud can occur, he said the state takes steps to reduce the risk, including inspections of facilities and monitoring how children are counted in the program.
“We pay those childcare facilities based actually on attendance. We don't pay on enrollment. Some states play on enrollment. We don't do that. We want to make sure that that child is actually in there that day before we actually pay for that for that child,” says DeWine.
As DeWine enters his final year in office, he was also asked about the future of the death penalty in Ohio. The state has not carried out an execution since 2018, and more than 100 inmates remain on death row. That includes Cleveland Jackson and Jeronique Cunningham, who were convicted in the 2002 deaths of Lenesha Williams and Jayla Grant.
DeWine said decisions regarding the future of capital punishment will ultimately rest with the Ohio General Assembly.
“So the legislature could do away with the death penalty, or they could come back and create a different way for a execution to be carried out. And, you know, push that, push that forward. So I'll have something to say about shortly, about what I think based just based on my experience. But that doesn't mean anything changes. Which simply means that I've expressed, as governor my position, and then we'll see if the legislature does anything,” adds DeWine.
More coverage from the interview with DeWine on a range of topics will be shared in the coming days.
Media Release from Gov. Mike DeWine’s Office
Governor DeWine Highlights Ohio’s Anti-Fraud Safeguards and Urges Public to Report Suspected Child Care Fraud
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today reaffirmed that Ohio has strong safeguards in place to prevent fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in the state's publicly funded childcare system and emphasized the importance of the public in reporting suspected fraud.
“Ohio takes allegations of fraud in our child care system seriously,” said Governor DeWine. “We have built multiple layers of accountability into our system, and we actively encourage Ohioans to report concerns so we can investigate and take action.”
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) has taken numerous steps to combat fraud in 2025, and will impliment additioanl safeguards in 2026. Those steps were detailed in a statement Governor DeWine released last Wednesday.
- Since the creation of DCY, daycare attendance has been verified by requiring a personal identification number (PIN) with a photo confirmation or a location-specific QR code.
- In June 2025, DCY began an anti-PIN-sharing enforcement process. More than 65,000 families were reminded that PINs must never be shared with providers. As a result, over 7,500 families reset their PINs.
- DCY also conducts unannounced health and safety inspections and reviews family eligibility and financial management practices.
In calendar year 2025, because of the Department of Children and Youth’s annual, unannounced visits, 38 childcare centers were closed and the efforts to close two more are going through administrative hearings.
In total, last year, the Department of Children and Youth conducted over 10,000 unannounced visits to daycare centers in Ohio.
- Prior to the statement Governor DeWine released on December 31, 2025, the Department of Children and Youth had received 124 tips from the public. Of those tips, 61 have resulted in daycare centers being required to pay back overpayments to the State. They have also resulted in the Department of Children and Youth closing 12 programs. Further, it was found that 30 of the daycare centers identified through the tips are operating in accordance with state and federal laws. And, 26 are still in the final stages of review.
After the Governor's statement on the 31st, DCY received an additional 26 tips that have now either been investigated or are in the process of being investigated.
- The Department encourages the public to send in tips on potential fraud. Since the creation of the Department of Children and Youth, a toll-free hotline (1-844-234-5437) has been in place and also a dedicated fraud reporting email address. A “Report Fraud” tool on the front page of the Department’s website is designed to help the public send in tips about potential fraud.
