PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Minnesota daycare featured in a YouTube video alleging widespread fraud has closed, according to state licensing records.

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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Quality Learing [sic] Center, independent journalist Nick Shirley, and the Minnesota Department of Youth, Children, and Families.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The closure was effective January 6, 2026, in Minnesota.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Are you trying to record that we’re doing fraud, or are you trying to put the Somali name and the fraud in the same sentence?” – Ibrahim Ali, Quality Learing [sic] Center manager.

🎯IMPACT: The closure follows allegations of daycare fraud in Minnesota linked to Somalis, and particular scrutiny of the Quality Learing [sic] Center, in large part due to its comedically misspelled name.

Minneapolis daycare The Quality Learning Center, previously the Quality Learing [sic] Center, has closed, according to Minnesota Department of Human Services licensing records. The Minneapolis daycare, which drew national attention after appearing in a viral YouTube video alleging fraud, was closed, effective January 6, 2026, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Youth, Children, and Families confirmed.

State records show the daycare’s most recent licensing inspection occurred in June 2025, when it was cited for several regulatory violations. However, officials claim there was no evidence of fraud.

The facility became widely known after YouTuber and citizen journalist Nick Shirley featured it in a video examining alleged misuse of public childcare assistance funds. In the video, Shirley said the center appeared inactive during his visit despite receiving state childcare subsidies. He also highlighted that the daycare’s sign misspelled “learning” as “learing,” a detail that led to it becoming something of a mascot for the scandal.

Ibrahim Ali, who identified himself as a manager at the center, denied the allegations and said Shirley visited outside of business hours. Ali claimed the daycare operated from 2 PM to 10 PM, Monday through Thursday. “Are you trying to record that we’re doing fraud, or are you trying to put the Somali name and the fraud in the same sentence?” Ali said, expressing frustration with the claims.

The daycare video prompted a broader response from the Trump administration, which announced investigations into potential fraud at businesses in Minneapolis and other Democratic-led states. Education Secretary Linda McMahon commented on the controversy in a post on X, writing, “One fraudulent business in Minnesota that misspelled ‘learning’ on its building received $1.9M this year while masquerading as a daycare.”

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