A government program designed to assist working families with childcare costs in Seattle is at the center of a developing controversy. An investigation by The Post Millennial's Katie Daviscourt alleges that over $5 million in taxpayer funds may have been directed to businesses that show little evidence of providing care for children. Daviscourt spent weeks documenting this pattern, visiting more than 20 addresses registered as daycare providers across two South Seattle neighborhoods.
"I don't care, I'm not going to answer." Woman connected to Star Family Home Daycare
The Seattle Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) forms the core of the investigation. This program is structured to subsidize childcare expenses for low- and middle-income households, enabling registered providers to receive monthly government payments. These payments are directly tied to the number of children the providers claim to serve. According to the investigation, this payment structure may have created vulnerabilities for potential abuse.
One of the businesses highlighted in the reporting is Daisy Family Childcare. From an external view, the property resembles an upscale private residence rather than a bustling childcare facility. Financial records associated with this business indicate that it has collected nearly $2 million in taxpayer money to date, with current monthly draws reportedly around $70,000. However, during Daviscourt's midday visit, a time when a functioning daycare would typically be active with children, the property showed no discernible signs of any children present.
A few blocks away, Aboo Family Daycare presented a similar scenario. Public payment records for this business list approximately $40,000 in monthly government funding. A neighbor, who has observed the property for years, conveyed to Daviscourt his long-held belief that the operation is a scam. This resident stated that he had never seen children at the location.
Further into the neighborhood, the investigation led to Hormuud Home Family Daycare, where Daviscourt encountered a tense exchange. Two women present outside the property became visibly agitated when asked basic questions about enrolling a child. This specific property is situated within a stretch of South Seattle that Daviscourt referred to as "Little Mogadishu," an area where a map compiled during the investigation identified more than a dozen registered daycare businesses clustered along a single corridor.
Another location within this area, Star Family Home Daycare, also resulted in a combative interaction. A woman linked to the address explicitly refused to engage with questions regarding the business's operations. When pressed on whether the building actually functioned as a daycare, she responded, "I don't care, I'm not going to answer." According to funding records, this particular property receives close to $30,000 per month in public assistance dollars.
Hostility continued at another site. A man emerged from the building and immediately challenged Daviscourt's political motivations, inquiring if she and her cameraman were "Trump people." He subsequently labeled them "haters" and ordered them to leave the property.
While some interactions were confrontational, not all neighbors were uncooperative. One local resident described the high concentration of daycare businesses in the area, noting there were "so many" of them. This resident also suggested that the individuals behind these operations might primarily be running them for their "family."
The investigation cumulatively identified more than 20 addresses registered under the Child Care Assistance Program across just two neighborhoods, with the combined potential misuse of funds exceeding $5 million. Specifically, three of the businesses named in the reporting—Daisy Family Childcare, Aboo Family Daycare, and Star Family Daycare—collectively draw nearly $140,000 each month in public subsidies. Projected over a full year, these three businesses alone would account for close to $1.68 million in government payments, a figure distinct from the nearly $2 million Daisy Family Childcare has already received.
Throughout the investigation, none of the operators confronted were able to produce records, staff, or evidence of enrolled children to substantiate their funding claims. A consistent pattern emerged at each stop: locked doors, evasive or defensive responses, and buildings that appeared empty despite receiving steady monthly payments from public coffers. The investigation does not indicate that any government office had flagged these properties prior to Daviscourt’s visits. It remains unclear whether Washington state authorities or the city of Seattle have since initiated a formal review of the specific daycare businesses identified in the reporting. The documented evidence, through property visits, funding records, and recorded confrontations, points to a cluster of taxpayer-backed daycare businesses that consistently struggled to demonstrate they were performing the services for which they were being compensated.
