Archive · 6 Jan 2026
Minnesota Daycare Fraud: Viral Ad Seeks Child Actors
There was a weird ad on Craigslist in Minnesota.
Someone wanted to hire 20 kids to pretend to be in a daycare for three days.
This was so the daycare could look like it was working when the government came to check.
The government stopped giving money to this daycare because they thought there was fraud.
A lot of people on the internet saw the ad and talked about it.
There have been other videos showing possible fraud in daycares in Minnesota.
This has made people argue about how daycares use money and how social media can change rules.
A Craigslist ad sought 20 child actors to make a daycare appear operational during a state visit.
The ad offered $1500 per day for each child actor and was tied to Minnesota's childcare funding freeze.
The daycare needed to prove it was functional to regain frozen federal funds.
The ad has been removed but screenshots have been widely shared on social media.
The posting comes amid broader scrutiny of Minnesota's childcare system due to allegations of fraud.
- Who
- A poster in Minneapolis' Hennepin County seeking 20 child actors for a daycare
- What
- A Craigslist ad offering to hire child actors to make a daycare appear operational during a state visit
- When
- The ad was posted and later removed; the exact date is not specified
- Where
- Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota
- Why
- To regain federal childcare funds frozen due to fraud concerns
- Location
- Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota
- Advertisement Platform
- Craigslist
- Number of Child Actors Sought
- 20
- Duration of Contract
- 3 days
- Payment per Child Actor
- $1500 per day
- Reason for Ad
- To make daycare appear operational during state visit
- Broader Context
- Federal funding freeze due to fraud concerns
- Content Creator Involved
- Nick Shirley