What We Know About the Minneapolis Daycare Center in Fraud Video

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The Controversy Surrounding the Quality Learning Center

A simple typo on a sign above a door in Minneapolis has sparked a major controversy, drawing attention to the Quality Learning Center. Located on Nicollet Avenue, the sign misspelled “Learning” as “Learing,” which caught the eye of Nick Shirley, a conservative content creator. This small error became the focal point of a viral video that criticized the center and other day care facilities in the Somali community.

Shirley’s 42-minute video, posted on Christmas Day, quickly gained traction online. It led to increased immigration enforcement, frozen federal funds, and harsh rhetoric from President Donald Trump. Although Shirley encountered several other businesses with more dramatic issues, the misspelled sign and the locked door of the Quality Learning Center made it a target for criticism against the state government and Governor Tim Walz.

“This is Quality ‘Learing’ Center,” Shirley said, pointing to the sign. “They spelled ‘learning’ wrong.” He claimed that these centers were not real businesses, but a manager for the center denied any fraud.

The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families investigated Shirley’s claims and found that the child care centers he accused of fraud were operating as expected when visited by investigators. Children were present at all sites except one, which was not yet open for families. The agency gathered evidence and initiated further review, noting that the investigation into four of the centers was ongoing.

Federal law enforcement has been investigating fraud in Minnesota for several years, and according to Assistant US Attorney Melinda Williams, 98 individuals have been charged in ongoing fraud cases. However, no fraud charges have been filed against the Quality Learning Center.

Funding and Concerns

According to figures provided by the state House Republican Caucus, the Quality Learning Center was set to receive $1.9 million from the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) for 2025. Since 2019, the center has received nearly $10 million from CCAP. These figures were obtained from the state Department of Human Services, although they did not confirm the data.

State GOP leadership raised concerns about day care centers, including the Quality Learning Center, months ago. State House Speaker Lisa Demuth mentioned that the fraud committee featured these sites in a hearing back in February.

CCAP does not take applications directly from day care centers. Instead, eligible parents apply directly to the state for assistance, which is then paid to the day care center. A budget forecast by the agency that runs CCAP predicts a cost of $56 million in the 2025 fiscal year, with an additional $101 million expected from the federal government.

Inspections and Violations

The most recent inspection of the Quality Learning Center, conducted unannounced, took place on June 23, according to the facility’s licensing record. State officials stated that there have been ongoing investigations involving several of those centers, but none uncovered findings of fraud.

“There have been ongoing investigations involving several of those centers. None of those investigations uncovered findings of fraud,” said Tikki Brown, the commissioner of the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families. She added that new site visits would be conducted this week.

Ibrahim Ali, who identified himself as a manager and son of the owners of the Quality Learning Center, told KARE that there was no fraud going on. He claimed that Shirley’s video was taken before the business had opened for the day. “If you look around, there’s cars now because our employees are here, our children are here,” he said.

Legal and Operational Issues

State DHS records show that the Quality Learning Center was cited for 121 violations from May 2022 to June 2025, including 10 in the most recent inspection. Citations included having an unqualified substitute and failing to have proper documentation for children’s medicine. None of the violations suggested that the building was empty.

Despite these issues, the center’s license has previously been in jeopardy. In May 2022, inspectors found 27 violations, 10 of which were repeats. As a result, the center was placed on conditional status for two years. Although it remained on conditional status, it was never suspended and was fined $200 twice for allowing an employee’s background check to expire.

Current Status and Conflicting Statements

On Tuesday afternoon, the sidewalk in front of the facility became a hive of activity as media and supporters watched adults escorting children in and out. A crew was kept back from the property, told by an unidentified person that being in the parking lot would be considered trespassing.

Determining exactly how many children are served by the Quality Learning Center is difficult from state records. The facility is licensed to provide care for a maximum of 99 children, but Ali said it serves anywhere from 50 to 80 children on an average day.

The state Department of Human Services has not responded to requests for details about enrollment figures. has been unable to reach the business or its registered owner, Siman Aden, using listed phone numbers, and it is not clear if they have an attorney.

Questions about the current status of the business were complicated by conflicting statements on Monday. “Quality Learning Center closed just over a week ago,” Brown said in a news conference, an assertion repeated in a statement from Walz’s office. However, observers found kids arriving at the center the same afternoon, leading to online conspiracy theories.

“Quality Learning Center decided to remain open,” a department spokesperson told the Minnesota Star Tribune. State investigators confirmed that they learned on December 29 that the center had chosen to stay open.

Shirley dismissed the idea that seeing children entering the building disproved his video. “They’re showing face right now,” he said.

The state’s report on Friday listed the amount of CCAP funding the centers in the video received in fiscal 2025, ranging from $470,000 to $3.6 million, and totaling over $17 million.

Whitney Wild and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.