Worker fired after alleged child abuse incident at Overland Park daycare
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – A Johnson County, Kansas daycare worker appears to be out of a job following abuse accusations from more than a week ago.
The alleged incident happened at the Kiddi Kollege in Overland Park. A now former employee, who spoke with FOX 4 last week, recorded the incident which appeared to show a female worker taking a little boy’s arm and using it to hit himself in the face.
Before the incident, she said the little boy hit the worker after she took away a toy.
“That’s being a three-year-old. There’s just no excuse to respond, when you’re an adult, to a child like that,” said Ben Friesen, a Johnson County attorney representing the child through his mother, Kylah, who first contacted him last week.
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In the video, you can hear a woman say, “You hit me, I hit you. Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself,” and using the child’s arm to hit themselves in the face.
“I’ve got a 3-year-old; it can’t happen. This cannot happen at a daycare by a daycare worker with an innocent 3-year-old,” added Friesen, who said Kylah pulled all of her children out of Kiddi Kollege yet has lingering questions. “She just hasn’t gotten any answers of how, why, or when? Is this the only time? That’s something we hope to find out.”
Another parent whose child also goes to the Overland Park Kiddi Kollege sent FOX4 a message from Wednesday via Brightwheel, which she said the center uses to send parents messages and updates.
Wednesday’s message said in part, “We [Kiddi Kollege] have decided it is in the best interest of the center that we terminate Miss {Redacted} employment with Kiddi Kollege.”
Since the Johnson County District attorney’s Office hasn’t charged her with anything, FOX4 is not naming her. Still, police confirm it is still an active investigation.
Friesen said the little boy is doing OK but that he’s been through a lot recently.
“He lost his dad a few months before this happened. It adds to the shock factor of you have a 3-year-old who is dealing with that, and that’s not something a 3-year-old is equipped to deal with. Then, at daycare, you have an adult, who that 3-year-old trusts, treat him like this and using his own hands to hit himself. He’s trying to process the loss of his dad and then this happens at the daycare,” Friesen said.
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When FOX4 spoke with Kiddi Kollege last Friday, they explained that they followed protocol after the incident, which included notifying the health department and having the employee self-report to the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
FOX4 contacted DCF to get additional information but were told that they cannot confirm or deny an investigation.
As for the 3-year-old boy, Friesen said after the incident his mother asked him if it hurt, to which he replied, ‘I don’t know.’ After that she asked if it made him sad. He responded with, ‘Yeah.’ Friesen said, “As a parent of a 3-year-old I hear that and I hear, ‘Yeah, it hurt him.'”
Friesen said a civil suit against the employee will likely be filed later this month. FOX4 called Kiddi Kollege four times and left a voicemail Friday but never received a response.
