Children wearing headscarves were observed entering a daycare with a notorious misspelled sign in Minnesota, a site at the heart of the Somali fraud controversy. A local woman attributed the mistake to a mere printing error.
The Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis gained attention last week after footage from independent journalist Nick Shirley showed the facility appearing empty of children, despite receiving substantial funding.
On Tuesday, independent journalist Ivory Hecker visited the center and engaged with daycare consultant Lafayette Butler-Robinson, who stood by the explanation for the misspelling.
When questioned by Hecker about the misspelled word “learning,” Butler-Robinson remarked, “That was a printing error.”
During their conversation, two young Muslim girls in headscarves and a young boy were seen leaving a van and entering the building.
Hecker further inquired about the duration of the sign’s mistake, to which Butler-Robinson responded, “I do not know.”
‘The printer, now that you guys have put the printer at bay, now the printer is reprinting that up again,’ Butler-Robinson said.
‘Sometimes it’s just hard to get printers to come out in the wintertime as the weather changes to put up new signage. Because we had different types of weather elements going on, it was just delayed.
The Quality ‘Learing’ Center in Minneapolis was thrust into the spotlight last week after independent journalist Nick Shirley shared footage of the facility, apparently devoid of children, despite receiving millions of dollars in funding
On Tuesday, independent journalist Ivory Hecker spotted children wearing headscarves were seen exiting a van and being ushered into the building
Hecker (left) spoke to daycare consultant Lafayette Butler-Robinson, who defended the misspelling
‘Just because it is a misprint, everyone is taking that out of content [sic].’
Butler-Robinson is the owner of Easy as 123 Daycare Consultants, according to her Facebook.
The company description on the Minnesota Black Owned Business website says, ‘We service new and existing child care centers with licensing needs, training, CPR and first aid, office and classroom set up and we offer monthly maintenance to help you stay complaint [sic] with state rules and regulations.’
It is unclear if Butler-Robinson was hired by the Quality Learning Center for her services. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on her part. The Daily Mail has contacted Butler-Robinson for comment.
When Hecker asked Butler-Robinson who the people were that were going inside the building, the daycare consultant responded, ‘People. American.’
Hecker asked if the children were attending daycare and Butler-Robinson replied, ‘Oh absolutely. I don’t know why y’all are thinking kids are not coming. Y’all are out here like kids are not coming.’
The facility has reportedly received millions in taxpayer funds, leading Shirley to claim that Minnesota has allowed for the ‘largest fraud in US history’ to go unchecked.
Butler-Robinson said the misprint was a ‘printing error,’ and when asked about the children entering the facility, she said they are ‘American’
The facility has reportedly received millions in taxpayer funds, leading Shirley to claim that Minnesota has allowed for the ‘largest fraud in US history’ to go unchecked
In a social media update on Tuesday, Shirley returned to the daycare with a research partner, a man named David, wearing sweatshirts that have the Quality ‘Learing’ Center logo and a made up hotline, 1-800-FRAUD
In a social media update on Tuesday, Shirley returned to the daycare with is research partner, a man named David, wearing sweatshirts that have the ‘Quality Learing Center’ logo and a made-up hotline, 1-800-FRAUD.
David told reporters outside the daycare that he filed a criminal complaint against the state’s Democratic governor regarding the alleged fraud, according to Fox News.
‘I filed a formal criminal complaint against Tim Walz for violating Minnesota Statute 3.971, Subdivision 9,’ David said.
‘So there’s an investigation ongoing, and I think Tim’s going to have a bad day, and he deserves it, because he allowed this fraud.’
Minnesota has, over the last month, emerged as ground zero in Donald Trump’s battle against illegal immigration amid staggering reports of fraud in the Somali community.
On Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel said his department has long been aware of fraud allegations in the state and threatened action against perpetrators.
He vowed to ‘protect the children’ and warned it was ‘the tip of a very large iceberg.’
The President has threatened Walz with federal prosecution for ‘gross incompetence.’
Democratic Governor Tim Walz has claimed the state has spent years cracking down on fraud
Walz claimed the state has ‘spent years cracking down on fraud – referring cases to law enforcement, shutting down and auditing high-risk programs.’
On Tuesday, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Jim O’Neill announced that funding has been frozen and demanded that Governor Walz audit the centers allegedly involved.
O’Neill said he has activated the ‘spend defend system for all ACF payments,’ meaning that all payments going forward across the country will require proof and reasoning before the money is allocated.
He added that he and the Administration for Children and Families assistant secretary, Alex Adams, have identified the people involved in the scheme that Shirley allegedly unveiled.
