For working parents, where your child is cared for during the day is a big decision — and an expensive one. 

One family is dealing with what they call a betrayal of their trust after learning their child care program was shut down for being unlicensed. 

WCCO found that it's rare, but it does happen in the state. Residential providers have been charged 23 times in the past five years and this latest case going through the courts right now.

Emma and Micah Schedler have two little ones. 

"Jax is now 5. Ayla is 3 and a half. They're awesome," dad Micah Schedler said.

The working parents say when they were looking for daycare, they were referred by word of mouth to The Nest in Maple Grove, operated by Lisa Zahn. 

"My coworker, who had also have had a kid in there, said, 'Hey, I know you're looking for care. This person's great,'" Micah Schedler said.

They say they felt it was an in-home child care program they could trust. 

"Coming from a center, for all the benefits that an in-home can provide. You know, smaller setting, typically more affordable, more attention, time, energy to each child," mom Emma Schedler said.

The kids went there for about two years until it abruptly closed. They say they were told it was because of health issues. And then what happened began to unravel. 

"I just remember that sinking feeling like, Oh, we've been like, we've been got," said Micah Shedler. "We've been had. And that was really hard."

They soon learned it shut down because Zahn, the operator, was charged with providing a residential program without a license.

"It was a sinking, horrible, I think I cried for weeks. And in addition to the grief, you feel a level of shame. You are a parent who is responsible for a child and it's your decision to put them in this home, right? Like, we put them there," Emma Schedler said.

Maple Grove police initiated the investigation into Zahn. 

The criminal complaint says Zahn said she was "homeschooling and that her and her husband took care of his sister and brother's kids." The investigator discovered they were actually caring for a "total of 18 children" ranging from infants to 5 years old. 

And Zahn said, "She had been doing daycare for 27 years and had never applied for a license with the state."

Randy Keys is the inspector general for the Department of Children, Youth and Families.

"We license child care programs in the state, primarily to ensure health and safety for children that are being cared for," Keys said.

The state says parents should ask questions when deciding on daycare, like are you licensed? And, have they ever lost their license or had action taken on it?

"There's a risk if you're putting your child in someone's home and you don't know the person. And an agency like mine hasn't done a check to ensure that this person has the training and qualifications to do the work that they're doing, that it's a safe environment, and that, you know, the people working there are going to be safe with the children," Keys said.

The Schedlers say they now see things more clearly. Realizing in hindsight, they should have had a contract with a cost agreement and could have looked to see if the program had a license. 

"Our motivation and our hope in getting this story out there is that other families can just be mindful of that. And do as much research as you can, of course, but I think keeping other families safe from going through what we went through is our hope," Emma Schedler said.

WCCO reached out to Zahn's attorney. He had no comment.

The Schedlers civilly sued for payments made for daycare services they say they didn't receive. The case goes to court in late November. 

Click here to look up the license for your childcare center, and for other resources. Below is information from the Department of Children, Youth and Families regarding child care license applications:

"Counties process family child care license applications. The Licensed family child care page has information about applying for a family child care license, the pertinent regulations, and resources for applicants and licensed providers.

Counties are permitted to charge up to a $50 application fee for family child care license applications, and an annual license fee of $50. [MN Statutes, 142B.12, subd. 2]. Child care centers, directly licensed by DCYF, require a $500 application fee. 

The time required to complete the licensing process varies, and includes the license application, background studies, prelicensure training, and inspections of the residence by the licensor. A state fire marshal inspection is also required in some circumstances.  

Once the county determines a family child care license applicant has met all licensing requirements, the county has up to 20 working days to recommend DCYF issue the license. DCYF typically issues the license to the applicant within 1 week of receiving a completed recommendation from the county."