CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Minnesota is not the only state facing fraud allegations over taxpayer-funded child care disbursements.

A similar investigation involving a Macomb County child care center is now the focus of a House Oversight Subcommittee. State Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Clinton Township) said he’s looking into more than $1.12 million in Child Development and Care (CDC) program payments made between 2023 and 2026 to First Premier Learning Academy & Daycare in Clinton Township.

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“As chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee, I have a duty to follow the facts wherever they lead,” Woolford said. “When government distributes public money, there must be oversight.”

Woolford and subcommittee staff visited the Clinton Township child care center several times during business hours. They found locked doors, and the center appeared vacant during its posted operating hours. They also discovered the business sign read “Kidz in Motion Early Learning Institute,” a name different from the one receiving CDC reimbursements.

In addition, Woolford said employees at nearby businesses told staff they had never seen children entering or leaving the facility and had no knowledge of child care activities.

Woolford and his staff didn’t stop there. Subcommittee staff posed as prospective parents and repeatedly tried to contact the facility during business hours. The calls were routed through an automated system requesting the caller’s name and purpose. Staff reported the calls were disconnected before they could speak with a representative.

“This is a continued front of waste, fraud, and abuse,” Woolford said in a video. He also criticized Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MiLEAP department, saying it is failing to provide adequate oversight. “Your tax dollars continue to go to places just like this, and there’s more to come.”