In February, Laura Richards enrolled her 3-month-old daughter at Little Saplings Preschool in Colchester. From the beginning, she had misgivings about the school's co-owner, Scott Breveleri. His emails were full of typos and grammatical errors, making them hard to understand, and he asked for tuition to be paid through Venmo, which she found strange. But the center was close to her house; she liked the teachers, and she was desperate for childcare. Though the state has invested millions to improve access to early childhood education, demand remains high. As months went by, Richards became increasingly concerned with how Breveleri operated Little Saplings. He put pressure on Richards and her husband, Ben Cadieux, to prepay tuition, offering them a 30 percent discount if they did. They ultimately took him up on the offer, shelling out around $17,000 for care through the end of 2025. He also regularly blurred the lines between personal life and work, Richards said. For example, he asked for contributions to a GoFundMe after the brother of his girlfriend, who co-owned the center with him, died in a car accident. He also emailed families about an organic farm he had just leased, soliciting orders for eggs, chicken and Thanksgiving turkeys. In late June, Breveleri texted Cadieux asking for a loan of $7,600 to buy a new playground set for the center, promising to pay him back the full amount, plus $2,500 interest. The strange and seemingly too-good-to-be-true offer prompted the couple to do some internet sleuthing. They quickly discovered a private Facebook group called "Scammed by Scott Breveleri." There, they found a cache of allegations dating to 2019 from people who claimed Breveleri had made off with their money. Alarmed, Richards and Cadieux withdrew their daughter from Little Saplings in September without a plan B. They asked Breveleri to return their prepaid tuition, and he promised to refund them at the end of October. But they've yet to see the money, and they're increasingly worried that it may be gone for good. That's because the center, which was licensed for 30 children, closed suddenly on October 23. Seven Days heard from about a dozen parents who claim Breveleri owes them, collectively, more than $50,000 in tuition and deposits. Some are still looking for a new childcare option. The Little Saplings families are not the only people to whom 27-year-old Breveleri allegedly owes money. Seven Days spoke to…