It has been almost five months since allegations of child abuse first arose at a Bradenton day care. 

• Manatee couple struggles to rebuild business after accusations
• Former employee levied child neglect claims against owners of No Limits Learning Academy
• Owner says enrollment went from almost 100 down to 7; Claims later dismissed

The accusations have since been proven unfounded and the day care has reopen but the owners say the damage has been done. 

Steve and Joanna Erickson say their No Limits Learning Academy now only has a fraction of the business it had before the accusations. 

The Erickson's noticed a need for child care in their Bradenton neighborhood and a year ago opened their day care academy.

"It was going very well, we went from zero to 92 in 8 months and growing," said Joanna Erickson. "We would have had at least 110 on August 10."

But the allegation of child neglect late this summer blindsided the couple and closed the day care's doors. The couple said the allegations were cooked up by a disgruntled former employee.

"It was absolute complete shock," Steve Erickson said. "She was like the Trojan Horse. I mean she came in. She just destroyed us from the inside out."

In July, there was an incident on the academy's playground where a child dared a special needs child to pull down their pants. 

According to the Erickson's, a teacher immediately stopped the situation. However, the former employee disputed that and within a few days, the employee resigned and filed a report to Child Protective Services about the incident. 

That week, the Ericksons were interviewed by CPS. 

"They said 'Do you know about that? And we said everyone knows about that.' " said Joanna Erickson. "The entire school knows about that attempt and so they said 'Do you have the incident report? and we said yes, here.' 

"One of the teachers went and got the book, brought it back in, we opened it up and said it's alphabetical. Well, low and behold, they were not there."

At that point, it was one person's word against another's. 

A few days later, the incident report was found in the former employee's desk, the Erickson said. 

"They found one copy in the 2016 April and later found one upside down in the bottom of the file drawer," Joanna Erickson said. 

The documents were handed over to the Department of Children and Families and Child Protective Services. 

But by then the damage was done. 

Academy closed and then cleared of any wrongdoing

In July, child protection officials delivered a no contact order with Joanna's name on it - not the school's name. 

"She said nope - the entire school is shut down for up to 90 days," Joanna Erickson said she was told. She responded with: "Well, I'm sorry but that's not what this paper says."

Two weeks later however, the restriction was cleared and the facility was allowed to reopen its doors. By this point, the Ericksons said their name, business and credibility had been ruined.

"It's not just the business," Steve Erickson said. "But the church has been damaged, and the international ministry has been damaged. 

"The donations for orphanages and the feeding programs for little kids the giving has gone so far down that now the orphanages are in trouble."

The Ericksons had plans to expand to center to hold 300 kids by the end of 2017. Today their enrollment is down to seven children. 

The couple has filed a complaint with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office against the child protective investigator. 

An internal inquiry against the investigator is ongoing.