Minnesota Department of Human Services officials confirmed Tuesday that a public website used to check licensing and inspection records for child care centers was offline following what the agency described as an unprecedented surge in traffic tied to a viral online video that alleges widespread fraud in taxpayer-funded day care programs.
A notice on the DHS Licensing Information Lookup page said unusually high volumes of visits caused service disruptions and outages, and that the agency was working to restore access.
Officials said the message would be removed once the issue is resolved. DHS did not immediately provide a timeline for full restoration.
The outage comes amid mounting scrutiny of the Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program and other publicly funded social services after YouTuber and independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a 42-minute video Dec. 26 alleging some licensed child care centers were inactive or empty despite receiving millions of dollars from the state.
The video quickly went viral on social platforms, drawing tens of millions of views and sparking national debate.
Shirley's footage purported to show multiple facilities that appeared not to be operating yet continued to bill the state for reimbursements under the Child Care Assistance Program, a federally funded initiative that helps low-income families afford licensed child care while they work or attend school.
The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families, which oversees licensing and inspections, said all of the centers featured in the video had been inspected within the past six months and that previous reviews did not uncover evidence of fraud.
Tikki Brown, commissioner of DCYF, said Monday that staff were conducting follow-up visits to locations highlighted in the online video to review the specific concerns raised.
Managers at one facility spotlighted in the video, the Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis, dismissed the allegations, saying Shirley visited outside normal business hours.
The center's manager said it was a misunderstanding and insisted the center operates regularly and serves children during declared hours.
Minnesota has faced prolonged investigations into fraud across multiple state-administered programs. Federal authorities, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, have been involved in broad inquiries into misuse of federal and state funds in Minnesota, ranging from nutrition assistance to child care subsidies.
Homeland Security officials confirmed expanded investigations into suspected fraud schemes in Minneapolis that involve misuse of federal funds.
The heightened attention to alleged child care program fraud has also drawn political commentary and criticism.
Conservative figures and lawmakers have amplified the video's claims, alleging systemic failures in state oversight, while others warn that the rhetoric risks stigmatizing entire communities.
State officials maintain they are cooperating with federal investigators and point out that long-standing efforts to strengthen fraud prevention and enforcement remain in place.
DHS licensing records show that enforcement actions and oversight mechanisms exist to monitor compliance with health, safety, and regulatory standards for more than 10,000 licensed child care programs statewide.
The controversy also comes against a backdrop of ongoing legislative and administrative reviews of the Child Care Assistance Program.
In 2025 alone, Minnesota had more than 60 active investigations into federally funded child care centers as part of routine and complaint-driven oversight.
As the DHS website remains inaccessible, families, reporters, and watchdogs are relying on traditional channels to obtain licensing records and inspection reports.
DHS officials say they will notify the public once the online lookup tool is fully restored.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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