A Washington daycare provider has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Working Connections Child Care program to the tune of $250,000. The plea was entered Thursday in federal court in Seattle.
The state cracked down on these cases five years ago and this is the biggest one yet.
Working Connections is a $300 million a year subsidized childcare program for low-income working families. It’s funded by a combination of state and federal dollars.
According to the plea agreement, Hindia Yusuf ran a home daycare in Covington, Washington, since 2005. During much of this time she claimed to be caring for 24 children each day split between two 12-hour shifts. Yusuf has admitted that between 2012 and 2014, she submitted false reimbursement reports to Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services totaling an estimated $250,000.
According to court documents, Yusuf falsified daily log in sheets, forged parent signatures and at times billed “when she actually provided no childcare.” She faces 12 to 18 months in prison and has agreed to pay back the $250,000.
