A former west Michigan childcare worker charged in connection with the sexual abuse of more than 30 young children has families and early educators asking the same question.
How could this happen?
Prosecutors in Kent and Ottawa counties announced in recent weeks that they charged Austin Hapner, 20, with 67 felony counts in connection with sexual abuse at two childcare centers where he worked. That includes 17 counts of first and second degree criminal sexual conduct as well as multiple counts of child sexual abusive activity and possession of child pornography.
Police said the charges stem from Hapner’s time working with children at Gro Childcare Academy in Kent County, Grand Valley State University’s on-campus childcare center and private babysitting
jobs. Prosecutors allege Hapner took photos and videos of children and of himself sexually assaulting children at the sites without detection.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said it’s possible more victims will be identified as the investigation continues. Hapner’s defense attorneys in Kent and Ottawa counties did not respond to Free Press requests for comment.
The case has shocked and confused local childcare providers like Tricia Dart, who runs a childcare site in Kent County out of her home.
Dart said she doesn’t understand how the abuse could have gone undetected for months and worries that the case will erode parent’s trust in childcare.
“Those of us in the profession, we know this isn’t something happening all the time, it’s rare,” said Dart.
“But for new parents who are already nervous about leaving their child with someone for the first time … and just have to hope the licensing reports available online are showing the truth, and background checks, hoping that all the stuff that’s required is making it a safe place for their kids.”
An international tip
Court documents show the investigation began at the end of August after Norwegian law enforcement found more than 40 photos, videos and chat logs with child sexual abuse material on the encrypted messaging app, Signal, reported WZZM-13. Norwegian authorities provided the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the evidence from the Signal chatroom. HSI then worked with the Michigan State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Grand Rapids Office, eventually identifying Hapner as a suspect.
Kent County assistant prosecutor Elizabeth Bartlett told the Free Press that the county identified 15 victims, 10 of which are children they allege Hapner’s phone recordings show him sexually assaulting during his time working at Gro Childcare Academy and five during his time in private babysitting jobs. All victims in Kent County are between ages of 3 and 10, Becker said.
Ottawa County has identified 17 victims, according to Detective Sgt. Allison Andrews at the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office. Charges in Ottawa County include multiple counts of possession of child sexually abusive material and capturing and distributing images of an unclothed person.
Court documents detail that investigators arrested Hapner in September and searched his Grand Rapids home, seizing devices including phones, computers and USB drives, reported WZZM-13.
From September 2025 to June 2026, Hapner worked at Gro Childcare Academy, which he left to begin working at the Children's Enrichment Center at Grand Valley State University until his arrest. He had also been a babysitter, getting jobs through the online caregiving platform, Care.com. At the time of his arrest, Hapner was enrolled at GVSU as an elementary education major.
As of Oct. 26, Hapner was in custody at the Kent County Jail without bond. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
In an emailed statement to the Free Press, Gro Childcare Academy’s attorney James Crocker said his client was “shocked and disturbed” by the allegations of abuse taking place at the childcare center given “the alleged conduct is completely contrary to their mission and to the trust families place in them to care for their children.”
Crocker said Gro Childcare Academy will continue to cooperate with the investigation and highlighted that Hapner had passed his state-administered background check, allowing him to work in proximity to children.
Grand Valley State University President Philomena Mantella responded to allegations in a September press release, noting the university’s commitment to cooperating with law enforcement during the ongoing investigation.
University spokesperson Christopher Knape said GVSU’s childcare center followed all of Michigan’s childcare laws and regulations, also pointing to the background check that Hapner passed.
“GVSU has since taken steps above and beyond to address concerns including a stricter cell phone policy and continued staffing that exceeds ratio requirements,” wrote Knape in an email.
Care.com spokesperson Caroline Edwards said when the company's safety team received notice about Hapner, they closed his account and notified all families who had exchanged messages with him. The safety team runs background checks on all of their caregivers, she said, in addition to reviewing job posts and caregiver profiles on an ongoing basis.
What exists to prevent child abuse in Michigan childcare and what could have gone wrong?
Michigan childcare licensing rules include requirements meant to prevent or address child abuse.
These include criminal background and sex offender registry checks for potential staff, trainings to teach workers to recognize and report child abuse as mandated reporters and a 24-hour timeframe within which childcare providers must make parents aware of any allegation of incidents like “inappropriate contact,” according to state licensing guidelines.
Requirements for home-based childcare providers specifically also require a signed statement from a licensed physician vouching for a new hire’s “mental and physical health” within one year before caring for kids and each time the childcare site’s license is up for renewal.
And while licensing guidelines determine how many teachers there must be in a classroom per number of kids, once staff have met all background checks and other state requirements, per licensing guidelines, they’re allowed to be unsupervised with children.
But to protect kids, providers have a legal responsibility to go beyond what’s required of them by licensing, said Megan Bonanni, an attorney who represents survivors of abuse, including those in Michigan State University’s Larry Nassar case and the secret recordings of children and employees in changing rooms at Goldfish Swim School in Rochester Hills.
State inspectors, for example, came to Gro Childcare Academy in March 2026, while Hapner worked there, according to state records.
They were there for a routine inspection to determine whether or not the site was in good standing to get its license renewed. Inspectors found three violations related to health, safety and emergency training that hadn’t been completed by some staff members, but nothing related to current allegations against Hapner.
“It’s not enough to say a background check was performed, because these are individuals spending time with children too young to report, so they are highly vulnerable, so policies designed to protect them must be vigilant,” said Bonanni who points to "institutional failure” at these childcare sites as the reason for the pervasive abuse being alleged.
At least one parent and one of Hapner’s former co-workers at Gro Childcare Academy have told media they’d previously brought concerns to the site’s then-director about Hapner.
Gro Childcare Academy’s attorney Crocker wrote in an email that they were “aware of public statements made by former parents and employees concerning reports allegedly made to site leadership. We take those statements seriously, but cannot comment further on any internal investigation efforts at this time.”
Knape said that no staff members at GVSU who worked with Hapner reported receiving complaints for parents nor did any ever report observing inappropriate behavior at the center. Since the allegations surfaced, GVSU’s childcare center closed temporarily for an internal review of protocols.
Kent County prosecutor Becker declined to speak on whether investigators had found any indication that concerns about Hapner's behavior were previously reported to an employer or state agency, citing the pending case.
Expert on preventing abuse of young children in care
There are ways for childcare providers to ensure they’re doing everything they can to prevent child abuse, said Melissa Werkman, the president and CEO of the Children’s Advocacy Center, a state-wide child abuse response member organization.
She said an annual policy review is prudent, looking particularly at things like usage of cell phones and cameras on work time and anything related to the direct care and supervision of kids, like ensuring adequate sight lines where multiple people are viewing one-on-one interactions with kids.
The other piece is training to help staff recognize and respond to abuse, whether it’s between kids, something at home or about an adult at the childcare site, Werkman said.
Werkman also pointed to the lack of investment in the childcare industry as a “systemic problem” that contributes to a lack of well-trained and well-paid staff in classrooms.
Kent County childcare provider disheartened by Hapner case
Dart, a local childcare provider, said she was alarmed when she first heard of the Hapner case.
“As [the charges] kept piling up I was like how did this happen with the background checks we have and a lot of facilities have cameras now, for directors and center supervisors to keep track of classrooms,” Dart said. “I’m surprised that things hadn’t been caught on [a facility] camera.”
Dart, who has owned her own home-based childcare site since 2015 and has worked in early education for the last 20 years, doesn’t understand how other staff members hadn’t observed things with Hapner that felt questionable.
She said the Hapner case gives others working in the childcare industry a bad reputation, the vast majority of whom she said “are in it for the right reason, they’re in it for the love of children.”
She sympathizes with parents who may feel concerned about leaving their kids in care when they hear about the kind of abuse Hapner allegedly perpetrated.
“I tell families when they are interviewing at programs, follow your gut. If you have a weird feeling about a program, follow your gut,” Dart said.
Dart also suggested looking for indicators of a childcare’s quality, like lower rates of staff turnover, which is a persistent issue in the notoriously low-paid industry. Werkman said parents can also ask providers about their policies related to child abuse prevention, like whether children are allowed to be alone with adults out of view of another adult.
Parents can also view a childcare site’s state licensing inspection reports, which include routine licensing checks in addition to special investigations (often done because of a complaint by staff or parents), by going to https://greatstarttoquality.org/find-programs/ and searching the name of a childcare site. Click on “Program Details” and then “Licensing Inspection Report”.
Beki San Martin is a fellow at the Detroit Free Press who covers childcare, early childhood education and other issues that affect the lives of children ages 5 and under and their families in metro Detroit and across Michigan. Contact her at rsanmartin@freepress.com.
This fellowship was founded with support from the Bainum Family Foundation. The Free Press retains editorial control of this work.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: West Michigan child sexual abuse case raises questions about safeguards
