READING (AP) — The parents of a 2-year-old Pennsylvania girl have been spared jail time in the pneumonia death of their daughter after vowing to seek medical care in the future for their other children.

Jonathan Foster, 35, and Grace Foster, 34, were sentenced Wednesday to five years’ probation on involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment convictions in the November 2016 death of daughter Ella Grace in Upper Tulpehocken Township, about 45 miles northeast of Harrisburg.

Prosecutors said the couple declined to seek medical care on religious grounds and were seeking one to five years in prison for each parent. The defendants have been part of Faith Tabernacle Congregation, which instructs members to avoid doctors and pharmaceutical drugs.

But the Fosters told the Berks County judge Wednesday that since their trial, they have realized they were wrong.

“We felt that God could only work in one way,” Jonathan Foster told Judge Theresa Johnson. And Grace Foster said: “We can’t just follow a set of rules blindly.”

Grace Foster said she doesn’t blame the congregation but placed the responsibility on herself, since she held to what she had been taught.

“God is gracious and very merciful and will always give us a chance to repent,” Grace Foster said. “That’s what I believe God is giving us. He gave us this trial to give us a chance to change our ways and to give us a chance to live better before it’s too late.”

As part of their sentencing, the Fosters must take a class in children’s illnesses and must provide health insurance for their six surviving children and any future children.