PRAIRIEVILLE - A daycare center in Ascension Parish remains open this morning even though a judge upheld a state decision to pull its license. 

Co-owner of the facility Joe Pursifull tells WBRZ Wednesday morning, "...we still have an appeals process through the 19th JDC. Our parents are coming and continuing to drop off and we will continue to be a home away from home which our parents have come to know and love from us until a judge rules that we cannot be open."

The Alphabet Soup Learning Center's license was revoked earlier this year, with the state citing a history of noncompliance. An investigation revealed 74 deficiencies at the daycare over a two-year period.

One incident involved a child being over-medicated, which the daycare disputed. The Louisiana Department of Education said the center failed to report the incident to the proper authorities. It was later learned that the owner of the center wasn't documenting who administered medication to the child or how much was given.

Pursifull says, the division of licensing has been on smear campaign against them while his co-owner has worked with lawmakers to change the rules for the agency. 

Funding for low-income families was pulled from the facility in February 2018, when the bright orange notices went on the doors warning guardians about the operation licensing trouble.

"We continue to allow low-income parents to come free of charge, of paying their co-pay," said Pursifull. "The state removed the money from them and stopped paying for that, and we continue to allow them to come free of charge, because they should not suffer because of the division of licensing and what they are doing."

A district court hearing to determine if the daycare can stay open is set for Monday, Oct. 1.