Charlotte day care teacher fired after caught on camera reprimanding children, parents filing complaints

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The teacher at the center of a video causing parents across Charlotte to file complaints is no longer employed at Tutor Time in Steele Creek.

Livestream video appeared to show a teacher grabbing children, hitting one child with a yardstick, forcing another child to cross his legs and grabbing another by the arm and forcing him to the ground.

Alyssa Stillwell, the mother who recorded the video, says she reported Tutor Time to the state.

WBTV learned state officials were already monitoring the daycare.

Just as the daycare was on track for that monthly monitoring phase to expire, this video emerged.

Previous Coverage: Parents file reports with police, state agency after watching livestream inside Charlotte day care center

One mother of a three-year-old girl who appeared to be hit by the yardstick, filed a CMPD report for simple assault.

Meanwhile, visits by the Division of Child Development and Early Education dating back to June 2020 are listed in state records. The records show violations were reported in 8 of the 10 visits.

Some of those violations were corrected during the visits.

According to records in September 2021, a violation listed dietary preferences of children not being followed.

A visit in March led state officials to open an Administrative Action against the center, which is a written warning meant to help a facility make changes.

According to the state, “unannounced complaint visits are made when the division receives a report alleging violation of the child care requirements or when the division has reason to believe an emergency exists in the center.”

In March, the violations were listed as electrical outlets and power strips located in space used by children without safety outlets, medications not properly stored, and staff-to-child ratios and group sizes not meeting standards. In one example listed, one teacher was with 12 children between three and four years old.

A letter from the state shows the center was notified of this Administrative Action in May.

The visits after that happened monthly, with 15 violations listed during the visit on August 9th.

A few of those violations included a drug or medication being administered without written authorization and/or instructions from a child’s parent or health professional, and new staff, who had contact with children, did not receive at least 16 hrs. orientation within first six weeks.

It also included this note about the Administrative Action:

“The action will be closed as soon as I receive the compliance letter for the violations cited during today’s visit stating they have been verified as corrected.”

But that was before this video came out and a spokesperson for the state told WBTV that “DCDEE is aware of the incident and is considering the next steps.”

Families have also reached out to WBTV with concerns that they say they brought to the director’s attention in years past and that nothing was done at that time.

A spokesperson did not comment on specifics but said “if a concern is brought to our attention, we’re committed to thoroughly reviewing the matter and addressing it appropriately. "

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