Childcare expert exposes key roadblock to uncovering potential fraud schemes in Minnesota: 'Really difficult'
How is this acceptable?
Alleged fraud schemes plaguing Minnesota's social services systems have elevated scrutiny surrounding childcare centers.
But fraud can be challenging to identify for states – especially when agencies are using outdated systems that make it difficult to spot trends and red flags that could point to potential fraud, according to Chris Bennett, the CEO and founder of a Wonderschool, a platform that provides technology support to child care providers and states.
"When you have all this data living in different place, it's really difficult for a state to identify where there is risk and where there is fraud," Bennett recently told Fox News Digital during an interview. "Additionally, a lot of states are using pen and paper still to collect information. So it makes it really difficult for an administrator and the administrator's team to go through all of that and make sure that they're keeping up with things on a regular basis."
Streamlining systems is key to identifying any atypical trends in billing behavior and attendance data that could point to fraud, Bennett said.
TREASURY SECRETARY ANNOUNCES CASH REWARDS FOR MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWERS
"The best practice is moving to a modern system, moving to a system where all of the data is in one place and it's all connected," Bennett said. "So you can use that to identify risk, flag unusual patterns early, and then have humans go and investigate. Oversight should support child care providers, not punish them."
To help do this, Bennett spearheaded Wonderschool Oversight in January – building upon Wonderschool’s existing partnerships with states including Florida, Michigan and Illinois – that aims to centralize state agencies' program data to evaluate enrollment, attendance, billing and licensing information in the same place.
Having this information in one spot allows for Wonderschool Oversight to flag unusual patterns that could require human review, Bennett said.
GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL
"For example, we can analyze daily attendance data to flag cases where billed attendance exceeds recorded attendance," Bennett said. "We review billing behavior for anomalies — such as sudden spikes in billing corrections — which can indicate potential issues. Or, in another example, we compare reported attendance against licensed capacity, age-band limits, and required staffing ratios to surface possible regulatory or safety violations."
Childcare fraud has come under a microscope after right-wing influencer Nick Shirley shared a video in December detailing alleged …
How is this acceptable?
Alleged fraud schemes plaguing Minnesota's social services systems have elevated scrutiny surrounding childcare centers.
But fraud can be challenging to identify for states – especially when agencies are using outdated systems that make it difficult to spot trends and red flags that could point to potential fraud, according to Chris Bennett, the CEO and founder of a Wonderschool, a platform that provides technology support to child care providers and states.
"When you have all this data living in different place, it's really difficult for a state to identify where there is risk and where there is fraud," Bennett recently told Fox News Digital during an interview. "Additionally, a lot of states are using pen and paper still to collect information. So it makes it really difficult for an administrator and the administrator's team to go through all of that and make sure that they're keeping up with things on a regular basis."
Streamlining systems is key to identifying any atypical trends in billing behavior and attendance data that could point to fraud, Bennett said.
TREASURY SECRETARY ANNOUNCES CASH REWARDS FOR MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWERS
"The best practice is moving to a modern system, moving to a system where all of the data is in one place and it's all connected," Bennett said. "So you can use that to identify risk, flag unusual patterns early, and then have humans go and investigate. Oversight should support child care providers, not punish them."
To help do this, Bennett spearheaded Wonderschool Oversight in January – building upon Wonderschool’s existing partnerships with states including Florida, Michigan and Illinois – that aims to centralize state agencies' program data to evaluate enrollment, attendance, billing and licensing information in the same place.
Having this information in one spot allows for Wonderschool Oversight to flag unusual patterns that could require human review, Bennett said.
GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL
"For example, we can analyze daily attendance data to flag cases where billed attendance exceeds recorded attendance," Bennett said. "We review billing behavior for anomalies — such as sudden spikes in billing corrections — which can indicate potential issues. Or, in another example, we compare reported attendance against licensed capacity, age-band limits, and required staffing ratios to surface possible regulatory or safety violations."
Childcare fraud has come under a microscope after right-wing influencer Nick Shirley shared a video in December detailing alleged …
Childcare expert exposes key roadblock to uncovering potential fraud schemes in Minnesota: 'Really difficult'
How is this acceptable?
Alleged fraud schemes plaguing Minnesota's social services systems have elevated scrutiny surrounding childcare centers.
But fraud can be challenging to identify for states – especially when agencies are using outdated systems that make it difficult to spot trends and red flags that could point to potential fraud, according to Chris Bennett, the CEO and founder of a Wonderschool, a platform that provides technology support to child care providers and states.
"When you have all this data living in different place, it's really difficult for a state to identify where there is risk and where there is fraud," Bennett recently told Fox News Digital during an interview. "Additionally, a lot of states are using pen and paper still to collect information. So it makes it really difficult for an administrator and the administrator's team to go through all of that and make sure that they're keeping up with things on a regular basis."
Streamlining systems is key to identifying any atypical trends in billing behavior and attendance data that could point to fraud, Bennett said.
TREASURY SECRETARY ANNOUNCES CASH REWARDS FOR MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWERS
"The best practice is moving to a modern system, moving to a system where all of the data is in one place and it's all connected," Bennett said. "So you can use that to identify risk, flag unusual patterns early, and then have humans go and investigate. Oversight should support child care providers, not punish them."
To help do this, Bennett spearheaded Wonderschool Oversight in January – building upon Wonderschool’s existing partnerships with states including Florida, Michigan and Illinois – that aims to centralize state agencies' program data to evaluate enrollment, attendance, billing and licensing information in the same place.
Having this information in one spot allows for Wonderschool Oversight to flag unusual patterns that could require human review, Bennett said.
GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL
"For example, we can analyze daily attendance data to flag cases where billed attendance exceeds recorded attendance," Bennett said. "We review billing behavior for anomalies — such as sudden spikes in billing corrections — which can indicate potential issues. Or, in another example, we compare reported attendance against licensed capacity, age-band limits, and required staffing ratios to surface possible regulatory or safety violations."
Childcare fraud has come under a microscope after right-wing influencer Nick Shirley shared a video in December detailing alleged …
0 Comments
0 Shares
49 Views
0 Reviews
