RICHFORD, Vt. (WCAX) – Dozens of parents in Franklin County have been left without child care after the Vermont Department for Children and Families revoked the license of a longtime child care center in Richford.
“He was an angel at his last day care and he loved it. We did not have any behavioral problems. As soon as he started there, it just escalated more and more,” said Marissa Olson of Richford.
Olson is one of the many parents who trusted the child care providers at Shellie’s Play Place. But that’s no longer the case after getting word the child care center was closing.
“There’s the learning tree in Enosburgh, but with everybody looking for child care now, they probably won’t have any spots. At this very moment I don’t trust anyone with watching and caring for my child,” Olson said.
After an investigation by the Department for Children and Families, Shellie’s Play Place was shut down and the program’s license suspended as of Monday.
Officials at DCF say they received a complaint about the program and sent two staffers to spend time at the facility for over two days. Deputy Commissioner Janet McLaughlin says they documented more than 40 violations of child care licensing standards, including serious violations related to caring for more children than allowed.
Parents say the facility was understaffed, had unsanitary conditions and they claim that children weren’t taken care of properly.
When we asked parents why they sent their children back knowing they had heard the accusations, many said the same thing as Olson.
“If I did not send him, then I couldn’t do what I needed to do. On top of being a parent. I need child care, it’s frustrating,” Olson said.
We reached out to Shellie’s Play Place for comment but the owner declined to comment on the record.