Daycare Collected $1.1 Million in Taxpayer Funds But No One Can Find the Children

Clear Facts

• A Michigan daycare received $1,121,641 in taxpayer-funded reimbursements between 2023 and 2026 despite no visible evidence of operating at its listed address
• Multiple site visits by legislative investigators found locked doors, no staff, no children, and a neglected outdoor play area with rainwater-filled chairs
• The facility, 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare, could not be reached by phone and neighboring businesses reported never seeing children at the location

Michigan lawmakers have launched an investigation into a childcare provider that collected more than $1.1 million in taxpayer funds while appearing to operate as a ghost facility. The case raises serious questions about oversight of public assistance programs and the potential for large-scale fraud.

The Michigan House Oversight Subcommittee on State & Local Public Assistance Programs is investigating 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare in Clinton Township. According to the investigative report, the facility received $1,121,641 in Child Development & Care (CDC) Program reimbursements between fiscal years 2023 and 2026.

Yet repeated site visits by committee staff found no evidence that children were being cared for at the advertised location. The findings paint a disturbing picture of a supposed childcare facility collecting substantial public funds while showing no signs of actually serving families.

The facility lists its address as 39781 Garfield Road in Clinton Township. Investigators discovered that address is actually occupied by Kidz in Motion Early Learning Institute, a daycare whose state license is listed as closed.

Investigators also reported they were unable to locate an active childcare license for 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare. Committee staff attempted to contact the daycare during advertised business hours but were unable to reach anyone, with all calls ending at an answering service.

During a June 12 site visit, committee staff found the building locked despite being within advertised business hours. Lights were on inside, but no staff or children were visible through the windows.

A nearby business tenant told investigators they had never seen children at the location, though they occasionally observed construction activity. The testimony from neighboring businesses became a consistent pattern throughout the investigation.

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Jason Woolford conducted his own unannounced visit on June 15. No one answered the front door despite repeated knocking.

Woolford discovered an outdoor play area consisting of a fenced-in asphalt lot with grass growing through the pavement. An old playhouse was pushed against the building, and chairs stacked outside were filled with rainwater—hardly the signs of an active childcare facility serving dozens of children.

The report states that a rear door was unlocked, but no one responded after Woolford called inside. Employees at a neighboring café confirmed to Woolford they had never seen children enter the facility.

According to the committee, Premier Early Childhood Education Partners LLC is a Chicago-based company that owns and operates several legitimate childcare facilities in Michigan. One of those entities, Premier MI Network Clinton Twp, does business as 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare and received approximately $1.12 million in CDC reimbursements between fiscal years 2023 and 2026.

The case highlights potential vulnerabilities in how state agencies monitor childcare subsidy programs. With more than a million dollars in taxpayer funds flowing to a facility that appears non-operational, questions arise about what safeguards exist to prevent fraud and ensure families actually receive the services being paid for.

The oversight committee said its investigation remains ongoing. No criminal charges have been announced at this time.

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