Incident Involving LI Day Care Employee And At Least 2 Kids Investigated: Police

EAST PATCHOGUE, NY — Suffolk police are investigating an incident between an employee and at least two three-year-old children at Way To Grow Child Care and Learning Center in East Patchogue on Oct. 21, a spokesperson said.

Child Protective Services has been notified, police said.

The daycare center has been cooperative with the investigation, according to police.

The grandmother of one of the children told News12 her grandson was on camera being thrown twice, his ears were flicked, and that when he became sad, he was reprimanded.

His mother was notified immediately and went to the school to watch the footage, the outlet reported.

In a statement, Mark Grossman a spokesman for Way to Grow, said the center has been "a trusted provider of quality, affordable child care" in the greater Patchogue community for over 23 years.

"Recently, management was made aware of an isolated incident involving an employee’s inappropriate physical conduct toward children," he wrote. "Two other staff members, who witnessed this conduct, did not fulfill their legal obligation to report it. All three individuals were immediately terminated."

The center is "fully cooperating with law enforcement and child welfare authorities as they conduct a thorough investigation into this unfortunate matter," he added.

"We want to assure our families and the community that the well-being of the children in our care is our top priority," he continued. "The children involved in this matter did not sustain any lasting harm and required no medical attention."

Grossman said there has never been a similar incident at the center, and "we are committed to ensuring it never happens again."

The center's management is now implementing measures "to strengthen" their "oversight and maintain a safe, nurturing environment for all children," according to Grossman.

The measures include increased monitoring of day-to-day classroom activities through enhanced in-person supervision and video surveillance, as well as enhanced training for all staff with an emphasis on "the importance of promptly reporting any concerns to management," he said.

They also include regular audits of incident reporting processes to ensure compliance with state-mandated requirements and the creation of a confidential hotline for parents and staff to report concerns directly to management, according to Grossman.

"We remain dedicated to the safety and well-being of the children and families we serve and will continue to work diligently to earn the trust of our community," he concluded.