Minnesota Shock: Cited Daycare Wins Power

Preschool classroom with colorful furniture and toys — Photo: Beloborod / Shutterstock

A Minnesota daycare owner with more than a dozen documented licensing violations just won a seat in the state House.

Story Highlights

State records and local reporting document multiple child-care violations tied to Blooming Kids.
Reports cite 16 violations since July 2024, including supervision and background checks, plus a fine.
New violations were filed weeks before Election Day, with paperwork still missing on Oct. 29, 2026.
The daycare’s sponsor, Partners in Nutrition, paid $18.5 million in a civil fraud settlement.

Daycare Operator With Cited Violations Wins Legislative Seat

Abdi Daisane, the operator of Blooming Kids Child Care Center in St. Cloud, won the Minnesota House District 14A race, which includes St. Cloud and Waite Park. Minnesota Department of Human Services records reported by local media list years of violations at the center, including staff training gaps, missing qualification documents, medical record issues, and equipment problems, starting in 2021. The St. Cloud Times said additional violations were filed on October 8, 2026, with required documentation still not filed as of October 29.

Secondary reporting that cites state files says the center tallied 16 violations across three inspections since July 2024. Those included supervision, staff training, background-study lapses, infant-sleeping rules, and discipline-related issues, along with a $400 fine for background-study violations. These findings describe real oversight actions by the state. One outlet reported earlier infractions were later addressed, but the October filings show fresh problems before the election.

Documented Oversight Gaps Widen Public Concern

The public concern is larger than one center. Minnesota’s Office of the Legislative Auditor found the Minnesota Department of Education failed to follow up on a 2018 review and missed red flags tied to the Feeding Our Future sponsor network. The official report states that weak oversight “created opportunities for fraud” in federal child-nutrition programs. The auditor’s summary details that some complaints were not investigated, and other investigations were inadequate. These are official findings about government performance, not campaign spin.

Blooming Kids’ reported sponsor, Partners in Nutrition, entered an $18.5 million civil settlement over alleged false claims to the child-nutrition programs during and after the pandemic. The settlement described large-scale wrongdoing by the nonprofit. The reporting ties Blooming Kids to that sponsor relationship, which understandably alarms taxpayers. However, the available sources do not show that Blooming Kids or Daisane were parties to that settlement or were charged with fraud. The facts separate documented licensing problems from any unproven fraud claim.

Safety, Paperwork, and the Line Between Errors and Fraud

Child-care cases often mix three different issues: safety and licensing rules, improper payments, and fraud. Those categories matter. A center can break safety or documentation rules without committing billing fraud. Conversely, clean files do not guarantee clean billing. Minnesota’s own 2019 legislative review found prosecutors proved about $5 million to $6 million in Child Care Assistance Program fraud over several years, far below some headline claims. Clear categories help voters judge what regulators did and what politicians now promise to fix.

For conservatives, the takeaways are direct. First, state files and credible reporting document repeated licensing failures at Blooming Kids, including recent violations near the election. Second, Minnesota oversight of child-nutrition sponsors failed in key ways, as confirmed by the state’s legislative auditor. Third, a sponsor tied to Blooming Kids paid $18.5 million to settle civil allegations. Finally, the record at hand does not establish fraud by Blooming Kids or Daisane, which is why precision in claims matters.