Michigan parents Jason and Rebecca Vannest thought their child was safe at the daycare until they received a photo of their 2-year-old son from one of the employees.
For parents, nothing in this world is more precious than their children. Most parents can go to any lengths to ensure their child is safe at all times.
However, sometimes, a seemingly safe place for children can turn out to be traumatizing. Parents go through immense pain when this happens, thinking about what their child went through.
THEIR FIRST CHILD
Jason and Rebecca Vannest welcomed their first child in 2013. After Rebecca got pregnant, the couple spent their time planning everything they needed to do as first-time parents.
Like most first-time parents, the Vannests wanted their son to have the best things in life, so they spent a lot of time whenever they chose anything for him. They had started hunting for the best daycare for him even before he was born.
DAYCARE HUNT
Before her first pregnancy, Rebecca had made a list of daycares for her future child. After knowing she was pregnant, she visited multiple daycare centers with her husband. She said:
Rebecca started noticing that William was upset when he reached home from daycare.
After weighing the pros and cons of every daycare in town, Jason and Rebecca decided to enroll their son at the Rainbow Child Care Center in Michigan. Little did they know they would soon regret their decision.
UPSET BABY
Once their son, William Vannest, turned one, they sent him to the daycare, assuming he was safe. Since they had done their research, they were sure their son wouldn’t be uncomfortable.
However, things took a different turn a year later. Rebecca started noticing that William was upset when he reached home from daycare. She even called the child care center and asked them if something was bothering him.
Every time she would call, the management would tell her that nothing was wrong, and she would feel relieved. She said:
“It felt like we had a trust.”
Soon, a worker at the daycare, who wished to remain anonymous, sent Rebecca a photo of William wrapped in a blanket against his will while he was asleep. Jason Vannest said:
“She explained to us he was being physically bound for naps, and over time, this happened about a period of a couple of months.”
The information from the insider broke their trust, but they also felt relieved to know that William wouldn’t have to go through the same again.
AGAINST HIS WILL
After seeing the picture, the Vannests felt it was “a clear case of abuse” because the employees had restrained him against his will, so they didn’t have to look after him. Rebecca shared her feelings about it:
“’It was, it was really upsetting.”
Jason and Rebecca immediately withdrew William from the daycare and informed the police about the incident. They wanted to get justice for their son
The police and state investigated the case and concluded that the daycare was at fault for “restricting William’s movement during nap time.” However, the daycare did not reveal whether it punished the employee for mistreating William. Rebecca said:
“It’s just scary as a parent because I don’t know how another parent would find this out.”
After the daycare broke their trust and they filed a complaint against it, the Vannests weren’t satisfied with the results. They felt the action taken was insufficient.
What would you do if your trust was broken like this? Would you file a police complaint as Rebecca and Jason did?
