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Michigan agency rejects Republican lawmaker's daycare fraud claims as 'false'

By Jack Nissen
FOX 2 Detroit
Michigan
Published June 26, 2026 1:09 PM EDT
Published June 26, 2026 1:09 PM EDT

The Brief

    • A Michigan education agency says claims made by a House Republican that a daycare center was involved in potential fraud were "false."
    • MiLEAP said a video and release from Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Howell) "falsely suggest" the center had received any funding.
    • 1st Premier Learning Academy and Daycare, the focus of Woolford's claims, does not have a child care license and has not received funding, the state said.

(FOX 2) - A state education department says claims of fraud made by a Howell lawmaker in the Michigan legislature are false after House Republicans said a Metro Detroit child care center had received federal funding despite not having a license.

State House Rep. Jason Woolford appeared in a video shared on YouTube visiting a Clinton Township building and investigating potential day care fraud. In the clip, which was posted by the Michigan House Republicans, he said "over $800,000" in tax dollars had gone to 1st Premier Learning Academy and Daycare.

In a news release from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), they said Woolford's claims were "false."

"The video and release falsely suggest that a child care facility, identified as 1st Premier Learning Academy and Daycare, has received over $1.12 million in CDC funding. The named facility is not a licensed child care provider in Michigan and has not received any CDC scholarship program funding."

Michigan: Fraud Claims "false"

Dig deeper:

MiLEAP confirmed on June 25 that a child care license was pending for a business identified as Kidz in Motion Early Learning Institute located on Garfield Road in Clinton Township, when an application was submitted on Jan. 12, 2026.

The application remains under review and the business will not be eligible to serve children until a license is issued. MiLEAP also said the business had not received any governmental funding under the Child Care and Development Scholarship Program.

The other side:

Posting on Facebook, Woolford said a House Oversight Subcommittee had investigated 1st Premier Learning Academy and Daycare, finding "no identifiable childcare license" through either MiLEAP or Michigan's licensing department. 

He did claim the center received over a million dollars in funding from 2023 to 2025.

Local perspective:

A review of businesses with the "1st Premier Learning Academy and Daycare" name in Michigan's Business Search uncovered a single entity.

However, the business is registered at an address in Roseville, not Clinton Township. It has been inactive since March 1, 2026.

The Source: A Michigan department news release, a state House Republican video and release, as well as a Facebook page were cited for this story. 

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