JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville mother contacted News4JAX after she said she picked her 1-year-old daughter up from daycare, finding her with multiple bruises.
Shalace Cecil said her daughter was at the Dreams Come True Learning Center on the Westside. The mother said her child was hit with a broken toy.
She said that on March 9, she received a message on Facebook from her daughter’s daycare, asking her to call the facility, which she said informed her that her daughter had a scratch on her face.
“What I saw on my baby’s face and body, it wasn’t just a small scratch,” Cecil said.
She added, “Her bottom lip was busted. Her nose was bruised and scratched up. She had bruises all over the side of her face. The back of her ear had cuts. She had cuts on her foot.”
According to the police report, a teacher told police that another teacher called out and she was responsible for two classes. The teacher told police that she placed the toddler in a playpen with another child while she took her students to the restroom.
While the teacher was away, the report states, she heard the toddler crying — and when she went to check on the children, she said she noticed a scratch on Cecil’s daughter’s face and a broken toy inside the playpen.
Attorney Stephen Smith, who is not associated with the matter, specializes in personal injury. He spoke hypothetically about the situation.
“What typically happens is after the Department of Children and Families completes their report, they can issue findings that, you know, sometimes result in the daycare being closed, or some kind of remedial measures that need to be put in place for the actual incident that occurred,” Smith said.
No arrests have been made,
News4JAX requested a comment from the daycare, which said it was a legal matter. The daycare said it has apologized to the family.