Bright Horizons giving up permit for Manhattan day care center after child abuse, safety hazard accusations

Child care provider Bright Horizons has agreed to give up its permit for a Manhattan day care center where two CBS News New York investigations exposed safety hazards and accusations of child abuse.

As a result of a settlement with the city, Bright Horizons is surrendering the permit for its Columbus Circle location and submitting new training plans. The company also agreed to not open any new child care centers in New York City for 10 months as it focuses on improving safety.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani released the following statement:

"A safe classroom, caring adults and a loving environment – these are basic expectations for child care in our city. The horrendous abuses that took place under Bright Horizon's care were nothing short of despicable. In my administration, as we expand universal child care for all New Yorkers, abuses like this will never go unchecked. This settlement will create stronger oversight at Bright Horizons locations, holding a multinational company accountable to the local laws of New York City and protecting every young New Yorker."    

Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said in a statement:

"Through this agreement, New York City is strengthening accountability across all child care centers operated by one of the largest providers in the city. That is a win for the health and safety of thousands of children and their families. As they've agreed, Bright Horizons has surrendered its permits at their Columbus Circle location, and they will not be opening any new child care centers for 10 months while they focus on improving safety across existing centers. They are required to improve training for education directors who lead programming at each location and will hire new staff to oversee and track compliance with the city's health and safety requirements. Bright Horizons will also submit and institute an approved plan to address past deficiencies that caused or contributed to horrifying incidents on more than one occasion. That plan will also address how they will handle employees who fail to follow safety requirements going forward. Overall, this will result in safer child care for thousands of New York City children. Creating a safer environment for children must always come first, and in this case, that's exactly what we're delivering."

A spokesperson for Bright Horizons sent CBS News New York the following statement:

"We are encouraged by this settlement and are grateful that the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has recognized the corrective actions we have taken after the conduct at one of our centers. We understand that any incident affecting a child is incredibly distressing, and we make it our priority to address every issue carefully and comprehensively. Over the past year, we have made enhancements to our safeguarding protocols, appointed a new leader of New York operations, enhanced staff training on identifying and reporting concerns, and increased oversight staff at every center. Transparency, rigorous oversight, and a culture of accountability are essential to earning and maintaining the trust of families who rely on Bright Horizons. 

CBS News New York Investigates was the first to report about child abuse charges filed last summer against three now-fired employees of the center.

Manhattan prosecutors said those former employees covered a child's mouth with tape, dragged a girl by her hair, and hit kids with metal water bottles.

One of the employees, Shakia Henley, was sentenced to three months probation this week after prosecutors said she sprayed a child in the face early last year with a bottle of "soap mixed with water and bleach mixed with water." Henley's attorney said she would not agree to an interview for this story.

A second CBS News New York investigation then revealed that a different staff member put a cleaning solution containing bleach in a water pitcher which was then served to kids in October, infuriating parents at the center.

"It's just hard to believe that this kind of mistake happened ... especially after the first incident," one parent said at the time.

Bright Horizons says the October incident was a mistake and the cleaning solution was wrongly labeled H20, but that didn't stop the health department from pushing to revoke their permit.

Corinne Schiff, the health department's deputy commissioner for environment health, said taking that step is "very, very rare."

"We are not in the business of closing programs. We are in the business of promoting safe child care," she said.