WASHINGTON (TNND) — A Minneapolis day care center accused of defrauding taxpayers in a Youtube video released by influencer Nick Shirley effectively closed its doors on Tuesday.
Quality Learning Center became the face of Shirley’s allegations that members of the Somalian community were collecting funding from the state’s Child Care Assistance Program. Shirley claimed they were not actually providing childcare services to the number of children listed at the day care.
Shirley’s visit to the Quality Learning Center showed that the day care’s signage had misspelled “Learning” as “Learing.” After Shirley’s video went viral, the owners’ of the day-care fixed their erroneous signage.
Department of Children, Youth, and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said on December 29, days after the video was first published, that the owners of Quality Learning Center decided to close a week before. But after Brown made her comments to reporters, the owner’s son claimed in a video that the day care was back in operation.
DCYF then shared that the owners notified the agency that the day care had reopened.
However, as of Tuesday, the daycare “requested closure of their license and it was closed effective Jan. 6, 2026,” a DCYF spokesperson told local Minnesota outlet KSTP.
“The provider is unable to reopen without reapplying for a license,” the DCYF reported.
Quality Learning Center, which received $1.9 million in tax dollars, was last inspected in June 2025 by the state. The day care was found to be in violation of ten safety violations.
The owners of the day care have rejected Shirley’s allegations, saying he visited the facility outside of operating hours.
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