‘Learing’ Center Finally Fixes Misspelled Sign
A Minneapolis daycare that unexpectedly became famous for a spelling error on its front sign has now fixed the mistake, but the episode has only intensified questions about oversight and accountability in Minnesota’s child care system amid lingering fraud concerns.
The business, known as the Quality “Learing” Center, drew national attention after a misspelling on its sign circulated widely online and became a symbol of broader skepticism about state monitoring of daycare providers. The error was corrected Tuesday morning, when a sticker was added to amend the name to “Quality Learning Center.”
Despite the correction, not all mistakes were addressed. The street name displayed beneath the sign still read “Nicolet” rather than the correct “Nicollet,” leaving another visible inaccuracy in place.
Manager Ibrahim Ali told the New York Post on Monday that the original typo was the fault of the center’s graphic designer and said it would be fixed.
The sign was changed just one day after independent journalists visited the location while probing allegations of fraud involving daycare providers across Minneapolis. Critics had pointed to the misspelling as an ironic warning sign for a facility responsible for early childhood education.
State officials said the daycare had shut down. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families stated that the center closed last week because of space limitations, and Commissioner Tikki Brown said Monday that authorities found no evidence of fraud linked to the operation.
What reporters observed on site appeared to conflict with those assurances. On Monday afternoon, the building appeared active, with cars pulling into the lot and children arriving. At least 20 children were seen entering the center, despite official claims that it was no longer operating.
The situation also revived memories of an infamous 2015 video from an earlier Minnesota child care fraud scandal. According to the Daily Mail, that footage showed adults posing as students to artificially boost enrollment figures at state-funded education programs.
The video emerged during investigations into fraudulent billing schemes and became emblematic of how lax oversight allowed providers to collect public funds for services that were never actually delivered.
Its reappearance alongside the “Learing” Center controversy has deepened public doubt that Minnesota has fully resolved the systemic weaknesses exposed nearly a decade ago, particularly as officials once again insist there is no wrongdoing.
Federal authorities, meanwhile, have highlighted recent enforcement actions tied to other fraud cases in the state. FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X that the bureau has been aggressively pursuing a major fraud network connected to Feeding Our Future in Minnesota.
“The FBI has toppled a $250 million fraud network that targeted vulnerable children and exposed a large-scale money laundering operation,” Patel said.
“The investigation exposed sham vendors, shell companies and large-scale money laundering tied to the Feeding Our Future network,” he wrote. “The case led to 78 indictments and 57 convictions.”
The daycare’s misspelled sign first caught widespread attention after it appeared in a viral video by independent journalist Nick Shirley, who visited multiple Minneapolis daycare centers while examining alleged misuse of taxpayer funds.
Shirley said some of the centers he reviewed had received hundreds of millions of dollars in payments without legitimate business activity to support those sums.
{Matzav.com}
