Michigan House Republicans Investigate Daycare Provider Over Questions About State Funding
Lawmakers cite licensing concerns, unanswered questions about operations, and more than $1 million in public funding received since 2023.
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan House Republicans say they have uncovered potential irregularities involving a Detroit-area childcare provider that has received more than $1 million in state funding since 2023, prompting an investigation into whether taxpayer dollars intended for childcare services were properly used.
Rep. Jason Woolford, R-Howell, who chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on State and Local Public Assistance Programs, announced findings this week from an investigation into 1st Premier Learning Academy after what lawmakers described as multiple red flags surrounding the business.
According to House Republicans, investigators found that phone calls to the business went unanswered and that the company’s website primarily advertised tax preparation and financial services rather than childcare. Lawmakers also said the address listed for the business is more than an hour away from the location identified as its childcare facility.
Republicans further alleged that the business does not display an identifiable license number on Michigan’s Child Care Information Hub and is not in good standing with state regulators.
During a visit to the facility, Woolford said neighboring businesses reported they had rarely, if ever, seen children at the location.
“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,” Woolford said in a video released by House Republicans.
Lawmakers also pointed to the company’s social media presence, saying its Facebook page contains little evidence of childcare operations. One of the page’s few videos, they said, promotes tax services for daycare operators and was filmed inside the facility without any children present.
The allegations come as House Republicans have made government oversight, ethics reforms, and investigations into waste, fraud and abuse a central focus of their legislative agenda this year.
Republican leaders said they intend to continue examining the business and its receipt of public funds. They also criticized state agencies for what they described as a lack of oversight.
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and officials associated with 1st Premier Learning Academy had not publicly responded to the allegations as of Thursday.
House Republicans said their investigation remains ongoing.
I have reached out to 1st Premier Learning Academy and Daycare LLC and have not yet heard back from them.