With homelessness at a record high in the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio is coming under fire from a fellow Democrat over conditions in the shelters for children. And City Comptroller Scott Stringer is the second potential political rival in a week to jump on the issue. Our Grace Rauh has the story.

We have an unprecedented homeless crisis that has spiraled out of control.

More than 60,000 people slept in city shelters this month, a record high that has prominent Democrats questioning Mayor de Blasio's approach to the problem. City Comptroller Scott Stringer investigated childcare centers in homeless shelters and found many are not held to the same health and safety standards other day cares must meet.

82 percent of childcare workers in the shelters investigated were not given a background check to catch past criminal activity or records of child abuse.

41 percent of the centers examined had no sprinkler system. 18 percent were missing fire extinguishers.

"Every worker should be background checked starting tomorrow morning," Stringer said. "That to me, that's step one."

City Hall did not dispute Stringer's findings. A spokeswoman for the mayor says the city is trying to enroll more homeless children in an early education program licensed by the city's Health Department.

"We are in the middle of a very aggressive plan to change the homelessness situation in this city," the mayor said.

The mayor says the 200,000 affordable apartments he plans to build and preserve, along with 15,000 apartments with services for homeless New Yorkers and others will help.

The issue is a sore point for the mayor. Just last week Democrat Christine Quinn, the former speaker of the City Council, hammered him over his record on homelessness in a high-profile speech. She is considered a potential de Blasio challenger. So is Stringer.

"This has nothing to do with the politics of someday," Stinger said. "This has everything to do with us doing our job."

The Democratic primary for mayor is still more than 10 months away but it's clear that the policy battle-lines are already being drawn.