A former Milton daycare worker accused of possessing child pornography appeared in court on Friday for the first time since being handed additional charges in the investigation.

On Thursday, Peel Regional Police confirmed the 37-year-old man, who previously worked at the Milton Community Resource Centre, had been re-arrested for a number of additional offences.

After further investigation, police arrested the suspect on eight counts of making child pornography, eight counts of sexual assault and eight counts of sexual interference.

According to police, all of the victims were at a pre-school daycare facility when the incidents pertaining to the charges allegedly occurred.

Police said specially trained investigators with Peel and Halton regional police are “working closely” with the Victim Services Unit and The Children’s Aid Society in Halton to “provide services to the families of the identified victims.”

“The victims are pre-school aged and it is at a facility that involved children as well,” said Const. Bally Saini of Peel Regional Police.

The man was first arrested on April 25 and charged with one count of possessing child pornography and one count of accessing child pornography.

He appeared in a Brampton courthouse shortly after and was released on a $5,000 bail.

The man was one of dozens of people arrested last month as part of a province-wide sweep of child pornography offenders by authorities, including members of the Peel Regional Police Internet Child Exploitation Unit.

Parents at the Milton Community Resource Center were informed of the investigation by email late last month.

Rebecca Barrows-Vrankulj, the executive director of the facility, said the news was “deeply troubling” to the centre and assured parents they were cooperating with police in their investigation.

“The security of the children we care for is our number one priority,” Barrows-Vrankulj said in a statement released last Thursday. “The childcare centre is still open and functioning and we want a healthy environment for our kids,which includes privacy. This is a difficult time for everyone involved.”

Parents with children who attend the daycare told CTV Toronto that they’re just as shocked by the investigation.

“He was great with the kids. My child really liked him. That’s really hard to stomach,” said one parent.

Following the additional charges, Barrows-Vrankulj called the news “heart-wrenching.”

“We continue to focus on supporting our staff, our parents and our children and providing the services that we always have,” she told CTV Toronto on Friday.

“We have all the same questions. We’re devastated by this. We’re working with police and we’re providing support.”

A suspect in the case was identified by police as Steven Campbell, 37, of Brampton. None of the charges have been proven in court.

With files from Tamara Cherry.