Michigan lawmakers are investigating a non-operational Michigan daycare that reportedly received $1.1 million in taxpayer funds.
The investigation centers around the Clinton Township’s 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare. Michigan House Republicans released a damning video showing the reality of the situation.
“The lights are on, but no one’s home,” state Rep. Jason Woolford – Chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on State and Local Assistance Programs – said in the video, showing the empty classroom through the window with lights on. He walks around the seemingly abandoned perimeter and discovered the back door unlocked. However, no one responded.
“The daycare that’s registered here 1st Premiere, they’ve received money over the last three years even though with MiLeap, they have not been properly vetted.
“Some of the businesses in this complex have said that they’ve never seen children here, that they’ve never seen this open, and they’ve been here for decades,” he revealed in the video.
“1st Premier Learning Academy and Daycare presents itself as an early learning childcare provider. The Oversight Subcommittee on State and Local Assistance Program’s investigation found no identifiable childcare license for this facility through LARA or MILeap,” the state lawmaker added in a post on Facebook.
“Searches for the business name, variations of the name, and the listed address did not return a valid or active license associated with this operation. Records show this center received approximately $1.1 million in taxpayer resources from 2023 to 2025,” he said, describing these as “serious” findings that warrant a thorough investigation.
Woolford added, “Michigan families and taxpayers deserve to know that childcare programs are legitimate, properly licensed, and actually serving children. When over $1 million in taxpayer funds are tied to a facility with many unanswered questions and red flags, it represents a breakdown that cannot be ignored.”
According to the staff of the Michigan House Oversight Subcommittee on State & Local Public Assistance Programs, they were unable to reach anyone at the daycare, either.
The investigation is still underway.
