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A day care worker is facing charges of child abuse after video footage allegedly shows her mistreating children at a day care center in Marion County, Florida.The victims, all 13 months old, were allegedly subjected to abuse by Laura Flores, a day care worker at Bright Beginnings Learning Center.The video reportedly shows Flores grabbing a child by one arm, swinging the child and hitting the child on the side of the head. In another instance, Flores allegedly struck a child on the back of the head, causing him to fall. Flores is also accused of using her foot to prevent a child from getting up, an action partially obscured by a table.Shantel Smith, whose grandson is an alleged victim, expressed her distress over the situation. “It was very disturbing … very disturbing to get that phone call. Not just for my grandson but for the other kids as well,” Smith said. “It’s heartbreaking for all the kids, if that’s what we saw.”A child came home from the day care center with bruises and abrasions on both cheeks, like he had been slapped. When questioned, Flores reportedly claimed the child fell off the piano. However, upon reviewing the video, deputies discovered two more victims. Flores is facing three counts of child abuse and has bonded out of jail. Neither Flores nor the center has commented on the allegations, but Smith raised concerns about the lack of monitoring. “How do you get to three kids if there are cameras? Why is no one monitoring the cameras? That’s the purpose of cameras,” she said.The report suggests Flores may have felt the other children were taking time away from her own child, who was also in the day care.
A day care worker is facing charges of child abuse after video footage allegedly shows her mistreating children at a day care center in Marion County, Florida.
The victims, all 13 months old, were allegedly subjected to abuse by Laura Flores, a day care worker at Bright Beginnings Learning Center.
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The video reportedly shows Flores grabbing a child by one arm, swinging the child and hitting the child on the side of the head.
In another instance, Flores allegedly struck a child on the back of the head, causing him to fall.
Flores is also accused of using her foot to prevent a child from getting up, an action partially obscured by a table.
Shantel Smith, whose grandson is an alleged victim, expressed her distress over the situation.
“It was very disturbing … very disturbing to get that phone call. Not just for my grandson but for the other kids as well,” Smith said. “It’s heartbreaking for all the kids, if that’s what we saw.”
A child came home from the day care center with bruises and abrasions on both cheeks, like he had been slapped.
When questioned, Flores reportedly claimed the child fell off the piano. However, upon reviewing the video, deputies discovered two more victims.
Flores is facing three counts of child abuse and has bonded out of jail.
Neither Flores nor the center has commented on the allegations, but Smith raised concerns about the lack of monitoring.
“How do you get to three kids if there are cameras? Why is no one monitoring the cameras? That’s the purpose of cameras,” she said.
The report suggests Flores may have felt the other children were taking time away from her own child, who was also in the day care.
