For Immediate Release
October 5, 2009
Contact: Erika Monroe-Kane, Department of Children and Families, 608-266-9000
Department of Children and Families Stops Wisconsin Shares Payments to 19 Child Care Providers
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) has stopped Wisconsin Shares payments to 19 child care providers effective Saturday, October 3. These providers were suspended from the Wisconsin Shares program because DCF discovered evidence that leads to a reasonable suspicion of Wisconsin Shares regulation violations. These providers will be referred to law enforcement. These are the third wave of suspensions in the last three weeks during which DCF suspended a total of 88 providers.
"We are ensuring that taxpayer dollars are helping hard-working, honest low-income families have access to affordable child care that enables them to financially support their families," stated DCF Secretary Reggie Bicha, "Instead of lining the pockets of criminals."
Providers were suspended for various violations to the Wisconsin Shares program. Two notable examples include:
Chonlada Family Day Care, Milwaukee
During a DCF visit at Chonlada Family Day Care in September, the center had no children present and attendance records from the previous week also indicated no children had been in attendance. Attendance records collected during this visit indicated that attendance sheets were photocopied with dates entered later. When a DCF staff member visited the facility last week, only four children were present and the provider was found to have two separate attendance records.
Miracles Start Young, Milwaukee
DCF staff has attempted multiple times to visit Miracles Start Young in 2009 and have not been able to gain access as no children or adults were present.
These suspensions are as a result of new authority given DCF through a change in Wisconsin law. Information about why each of the 88 providers has been suspended from the Wisconsin Shares program is available on the DCF website, www.dcf.wisconsin.gov.
As part of the recent budget, DCF can now suspend providers during investigations if fraud is reasonably suspected. In efforts to detect fraud, DCF is developing a system to automatically collect attendance records from child care centers receiving Shares reimbursements. The Department has also created a five person fraud detection and prevention unit that includes two former police officers and contracted with an investigative firm with expertise in public subsidy fraud investigations. In partnership with the Milwaukee District Attorney’s office, DCF is co-leading a Child Care Anti- Fraud Task Force which includes representatives from the Milwaukee County Sherriff, the Department of Justice, Milwaukee County, and the FBI.
Parents whose child care provider has been suspended from receiving Wisconsin Shares payments should contact 4C in Milwaukee at 414-562-2676 or outside of Milwaukee at 800-750-5431 to assist in finding a new child care facility. For more information about 4C, visit their Web site at www.4c-milwaukee.org or www.4-c.org.
To report suspicions of fraud, call the DCF child care fraud hotline at 877-302-FRAUD or 877-302-3728 or visit the DCF website at www.dcf.wisconsin.gov to submit tips directly to fraud detection and prevention unit.
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