Quality Learning Center — made famous after misspelling “learning” as “learing” on its front sign — has shut down two weeks after Nick Shirley’s viral investigation showed an empty parking lot and no children on site, despite the center receiving millions of taxpayer funds.
Days later on Dec. 29, the same lot was filled with vans dropping off children as some local media insisted the daycare was open and operational — even after Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Commissioner Tikki Brown told reporters the center had voluntarily shut down a week earlier.
Alpha News reached out to DCYF to ask when and why Quality Learning Center closed, and clarification on Commissioner Brown’s statements.
In a written statement, DCYF said, “Quality Learning Center requested closure of their license and it was closed effective Jan. 6, 2026. The provider is unable to reopen without reapplying for a license.”
Alpha News also sought clarification on why Commissioner Brown told reporters the center had already closed once before. DCYF did not respond to that inquiry by publication.
Now the infamous Learing Center is CLOSED. Just a week after being exposed in Nick Shirley's video.
Minnesota's Tikki Brown told reporters that the daycare was closed after Shirley's visit, while media stood outside watching van loads of kids going in 😂https://t.co/eKPBuP4kXj
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) January 7, 2026
Another daycare appears suddenly busy
The scene outside Quality Learning Center in the days after Shirley’s video hit the internet mirrored other daycare locations featured in the video, where parking lots previously observed as empty during daytime hours have appeared suddenly full, with vehicles dropping off children.
It was a noticeably different scene when cameras returned to a Minneapolis daycare on Dec. 29, formerly known as Creative Minds Daycare and now operating as Super Kids Daycare Center, though the exterior signage has not changed.
In a video posted to X, Republican National Committeeman AK Kamara visited the daycare on Dec. 30 alongside independent journalist Ivory Hecker. The video shows a parking lot filled with vehicles, with adults seen bringing children into the building. When Kamara and Hecker attempted to ask questions, a man at the location threatened to call police.
As Alpha News previously reported, two weeks earlier, on Dec. 15, Alpha News reporters Liz Collin and Jenna Gloeb visited the same rundown building but did not observe any children on site. The parking lot held only a battered passenger van with visible holes and a Range Rover.
A man who answered the door told Alpha News the daycare was operating and claimed 60 to 70 children attended daily after school. When reporters returned in the afternoon, no children were observed.
Shirley visited the same location on Dec. 16. In Shirley’s video, which has been viewed more than 139 million times, no children were observed during his visit and the same passenger van sat alone in the parking lot.
Shirley reported that Creative Minds Daycare received approximately $2.45 million in state payments during fiscal year 2025.
However, according to state licensing records, Creative Minds Daycare has been closed since Oct. 1, 2025, following dozens of violations cited in public records. Records show that on the same day it was listed as closed, a new daycare provider — Super Kids Daycare Center — opened at the exact same address.
Alpha News has submitted a public data request seeking detailed information on state payments tied to the location but has not received a response as of publication.
Walz accuses ‘right-wing’ of ‘breaking into daycares’
In a statement released Jan. 5 announcing he would not seek reelection, Gov. Tim Walz appeared to reference Shirley’s viral daycare footage, accusing “conspiracy theorist right-wing YouTubers” of “breaking into daycare centers and demanding access to our children.”
Alpha News reached out to Shirley seeking comment on Walz’s remarks and to ask whether he plans to pursue legal action related to the accusations. As of publication, Shirley had not responded.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
