Parents’ horror after learning their daughter went to childcare where alleged abuser Joshua Brown worked in Melbourne

The public was outraged, an alleged child abuser was charged, and Melody and Hayden Glaister suddenly faced the unthinkable.

Their daughter’s former “favourite educator” had been charged by police.

His alleged offending against other children, at the same time their now six-year-old was in his care.

The only child is one of the thousands of Melbourne children forced to be tested for sexually transmitted infections as a child who attended the Point Cook childcare centre.

“We had to sit her down and ask her if she recalls anyone at that centre ever touching her in an inappropriate way,” said Mrs Glaister.

Brown, 26, was charged by Victoria Police earlier this month with more than 70 offences, including the sexual penetration of a child, and the production of child abuse material.

His alleged victims have been identified in videos allegedly filmed by Brown, some, as young as five months old.

When Hayden Glaister received a text message and email from authorities, he did an online search.

Countless media articles and images of their daughter’s educator popped up.

“He said, ‘it’s Josh’,” said Mrs Glaister.

“He always wanted to be around the children, he was very bubbly, always smiling, always sort of gravitated towards the children.”

Their daughter first attended the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook at six months old.

In 2021 and 2022, Joshua Brown was her educator.

“He had offered to provide private babysitting services to us as well. It’s something that will always haunt us now,” Mrs Glaister said.

With two working parents, the then-three-year-old was booked at childcare from 8am until 6.30pm and was often the last child to be picked up.

Mrs Glaister said she and her husband “had issues with that centre, from a long way back”.

They allege, on one occasion, they found their daughter unsupervised.

“When she started school we were incredibly grateful to get her out of that centre,” she said.

Mrs Glaister said her daughter can’t remember any inappropriate behaviour from the alleged offender.

“She’s so innocent, kids are innocent,” Mrs Glaister said.

Now, the family sit in a state of limbo, awaiting the results of her STI test.

They plan to join a class action lawsuit lead by Shine Lawyers.

“These centres, hiding behind their policies and procedures, that they did the right thing. for so many parents right now, that’s not enough, it’s not enough” she said.

Police have so far identified eight alleged victims.

Jodie Willey, chief operating officer of Shine Lawyers, said the class action lawsuit will provide another avenue for “indirect victims”.

“The heartbreaking reality is that there is a larger cohort of parents who will forever live with this uncertainty around what may or may not have occurred to their children” she said.