Michigan Daycare Collected $1.1 Million in State Childcare Funds. Lawmakers Who Visited Found Rainwater in Chairs and No Children.

Since this publication's earlier coverage of federal and state-level fraud in taxpayer-funded social programs, a separate Michigan case has been building at the state level. It raises direct questions about oversight gaps in the Child Development & Care (CDC) Program.

The Michigan House Oversight Subcommittee on State & Local Public Assistance Programs opened an investigation into 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare, a facility listed at 39781 Garfield Road in Clinton Township. According to an investigative report reviewed by the subcommittee, the provider collected $1,121,641 in CDC reimbursements across fiscal years 2023 through 2026.

What Investigators Found on the Ground

Committee staff conducted multiple site visits and could not locate any sign of an operating daycare. During a June 12 site visit, the building was locked despite being open during advertised business hours. Lights were on inside, but no staff or children were visible, according to the subcommittee report.

The address is actually occupied by Kidz in Motion Early Learning Institute, a separate entity whose state license is listed as closed. Investigators said they were also unable to locate an active childcare license for 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare.

Every call to the facility during business hours ended at an answering service. No one picked up.

A nearby business tenant told investigators they had never seen children at the location, though they mentioned occasional construction activity.

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Jason Woolford visited the address himself on June 15. According to Fox News, which first reported the subcommittee's findings, Woolford knocked repeatedly and received no answer. A rear door was unlocked, but no one responded after Woolford called inside. He described the outdoor play area as a fenced-in asphalt lot with grass growing through the pavement, an old playhouse pushed against the building, and chairs stacked outside filled with rainwater. Employees at a neighboring café told Woolford they had never seen children enter the facility.

The Corporate Structure Behind the Payments

According to the committee, Premier Early Childhood Education Partners LLC is a Chicago-based company that owns and operates several legitimate childcare facilities in Michigan. The report states that one of those entities, Premier MI Network Clinton Twp, does business as 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare and received approximately $1.12 million in CDC reimbursements between fiscal years 2023 and 2026.

How $1.1 Million Flows Without Verification

The CDC Program is a federally supported, state-administered program. Michigan pays licensed childcare providers on behalf of low-income families who qualify for assistance. The reimbursement model is built on provider attestations—providers bill for slots filled, and the state pays. That structure depends heavily on accurate licensing data and routine auditing.

One caveat is worth noting: it's possible 1st Premier operated at some point, or operates at a different location not captured in state records, and that the site visits caught an anomaly rather than a pattern of fraud. No charges have been filed. The subcommittee has released investigative findings, not a verdict. Fox News Digital reported it reached out to Premier Early Childhood Education Partners for comment; no on-record response appeared in the available source material.

What the subcommittee's investigators documented—no active license on file, no reachable staff, a physically abandoned-looking premises, $1.1 million paid out over three fiscal years—is not a clerical anomaly. It is a systemic question about whether Michigan's CDC Program audits active providers before sending reimbursements or only after complaints arrive.

The Broader Pattern in Michigan

This case is not isolated. Fox News noted in its reporting that the subcommittee also referenced a separate investigation into what it called a "cash giveaway" program for new mothers, and a prior case involving a Democratic donor who faces felony charges tied to taxpayer-funded payments. Those are separate matters, but they suggest the subcommittee has been actively excavating state assistance programs for compliance failures across multiple program types.

What Comes Next

The oversight committee said its investigation remains ongoing, and no criminal charges have been announced. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the CDC Program, has not issued a public statement on this specific provider based on available source material.

The unresolved question is whether the subcommittee will refer its findings to the Michigan Attorney General's office or to federal authorities, given that CDC funds include federal dollars. No referral or next scheduled action was specified in the available source material.