1) The federal government provides this funding because it **saves** us money. Having single parents able to work, or more families be dual income bolsters the economy, but also means less people on welfare which costs more than child care. 2 & 3) While having a parent or grandparent care for the child is better for the kid, and I personally think that’s worth it, it does not have the economic benefit that paid child care has of enabling more people in the work place, so we don’t do that. I’m pretty libertarian leaning, but we have to be practical, any program that saves us on essential societal costs, and results in proper care for kids instead of them being on the streets or unsupervised, is a fair cost for a society. (PS - The fraud is bad and has been mostly prosecuted. Now it’s a media frenzy of dog whistles attacking legitimate businesses which is bs.)