Social media has been buzzing with memes and viral posts about the “Quality Learing Center” following a widely shared video by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley that alleges fraud at a Minnesota daycare. The video quickly gained traction online, sparking widespread discussion and commentary across multiple platforms.
The video shows what appear to be empty daycare facilities that reportedly received millions in state and federal funding. A sign outside one of the centers contained a noticeable spelling error, displaying “learing” instead of “learning.”
In a 42-minute investigative video, Nick Shirley focuses on a licensed daycare called “Quality Learing Center,” which appeared closed on a weekday with no children present, despite reportedly receiving substantial taxpayer funding.
In an exclusive interview with The New York Post, a local resident said they had never seen children at the center before Dec. 29 and noted that the parking lot was consistently empty.
The video, released on Dec. 26, shows Shirley speaking to the person who answers the door at the center. He asks, “You do realize there’s supposed to be 99 children here in this building, and there’s no one here?”
READ: Kash Patel vows to hunt down those who seek to harm Americans (
Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, whose district includes St. Cloud and the Twin Cities suburbs, criticized Governor Tim Walz following the release of the video. He wrote on X, “4 million dollars of hard-earned tax dollars going to an education center that can’t even spell learning correctly. Care to explain this one, Tim Walz?”
An X post shared a video showing a “teacher” attempting to teach an “equation,” mocking the closed center that is supposed to host 99 children. Meme page Planet of Memes posted a sticker of former President Joe Biden graduating from the “learing center,” poking fun at his well-known speech errors.
According to an ABC affiliate in St. Paul, the Quality Learning Center has also made headlines for receiving 95 infractions from the state human services office between 2019 and 2023.
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is intensifying efforts against fraud in Minnesota after a daycare was accused of misappropriating $4 million in taxpayer funds.
In a detailed X post on Sunday, Patel noted that the FBI has long been aware of fraud claims in the state and pledged action against those responsible. He vowed to “protect the children” and cautioned that the case was “the tip of a very large iceberg.”
Patel’s remarks came after Nick Shirley released footage of an apparently empty Minnesota daycare that reportedly received millions in taxpayer funds.
READ: Who’s Alexis Wilkins? FBI Director Kash Patel slams ‘Cowardly’ attacks on girlfriend (
The video, showing a sign misspelled as “Quality Learing Center,” sparked outrage among lawmakers and fuelled claims that state authorities allowed what some are calling the “largest fraud in U.S. history” to go unchecked.
The alleged daycare fraud is the latest in a series of public fund abuses uncovered in Minnesota, including a large Covid-era scheme involving the federally funded nonprofit Feeding Our Future. At least 78 people, including 72 Somali individuals, have been charged in connection with that scheme.
“The FBI is aware of recent social media reports in Minnesota,” Patel wrote, adding that the bureau is moving to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs.” He highlighted that the FBI has been aggressively targeting a massive network that misused a COVID-era food program.
“The FBI has toppled a $250 million fraud network that targeted vulnerable children and exposed a ‘large-scale money laundering’ operation,” Patel said.
He added, “The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network. The case led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions.”