Ben Smith writes for Legal Insurrection about the demise of a dubious enterprise in Minnesota.
The Minnesota daycare at the center of mounting scrutiny over public childcare funds is now officially closed.
According to state licensing records, the Quality Learning Center shut its doors this week, marking a quiet end to a facility that became nationally known after being featured in an investigative video by YouTuber Nick Shirley.
Fox News reported that the Minnesota Department of Human Services confirmed the closure, noting that the daycare’s license was formally terminated earlier this month.
“Quality Learning Center requested closure of their license and it was closed effective Jan. 6, 2026,” a Minnesota Department of Youth, Children, and Families spokesperson told Fox News. “The provider is unable to reopen without reapplying for a license.”
No explanation was provided by the state for why the center requested the closure. Fox News Digital said attempts to contact the facility were unsuccessful.
The closure follows months of public attention after Shirley visited the Minneapolis location while documenting what he described as daycares receiving public funds without visible evidence of operations. During his visit, the building appeared inactive, despite records showing the center was licensed for dozens of children and had received substantial childcare assistance funding.
“You do realize that there are supposed to be 99 children right here at this building, but there’s no one here,” Shirley said in the video, filmed outside the facility.
The center’s signage, which famously misspelled “learning” as “learing,” became emblematic of broader concerns raised in Shirley’s reporting. The video triggered public backlash and renewed focus on Minnesota’s childcare assistance program, particularly in Minneapolis.
Federal officials also weighed in. Education Secretary Linda McMahon condemned the situation on social media, writing that a daycare which “misspelled ‘learning’ on its building” had received nearly $2 million in public funds.
