Dallas mother sues daycare after allegedly witnessing caregiver aggressively handling children
A Dallas mother says she witnessed a caregiver physically handling children at her 3-year-old daughter's daycare, prompting an investigation and an arrest. Now, she is suing the daycare, raising questions about what happened before the incident and how the classroom video was monitored.
Fran Wilson said she chose The Learning Experience on Frankford Road in Dallas after researching the facility and speaking with its director.
"And she assured me that, you know, we can trust them," Wilson said.
Wilson described her daughter as independent, bubbly, and social. But about three to four months after her daughter began attending the daycare, Wilson said she noticed changes in her behavior.
"So she just became different," Wilson said. She described nightmares and said her daughter became clingy and did not want to leave her side.
Wilson said her daughter also told her that a teacher had hit her.
On Sept. 3, Wilson said she made an unannounced visit to the daycare. She said she watched live footage of activity inside the facility with the director and another employee.
"I noticed the caregiver yanking her arm, forcefully making her stumble to the sink and turning around and grabbing a little boy by the shirt and throwing him down," Wilson said.
Caregiver arrested for assault
The caregiver was arrested on two assault charges stemming from the incident, according to information provided to CBS News Texas. The Learning Experience told CBS News Texas that the caregiver no longer works at that location. CBS News Texas has tried to reach the individual but has not heard back.
Wilson said the experience has had a lasting effect on her family.
"What has happened to my daughter has changed our life forever," she said.
Wilson has filed a lawsuit against the daycare, seeking accountability and answers about whether other incidents may have occurred, according to her account of the case.
Asked what seeing the footage showed her, Wilson said it undermined her trust in the facility.
"Basically, showed me that they can't be trusted. And they are not being held accountable of what has been going on and also not knowing what has happened before this incident, if anything else has happened," she said.
The Learning Experience says on its website that cameras in each classroom are monitored from administrative offices.
However, Wilson's attorney, Russell Button, said the daycare had indicated that the incident was not recorded.
"What good are cameras if no one's watching?" Button said. He questioned whether the facility's camera system was being used effectively and alleged that caregivers knew cameras were present in the rooms.
Those statements reflect the attorney's characterization of the case and do not independently establish what staff members knew or whether anyone was monitoring the footage at the time.
State investigates facility
Texas Health and Human Services also investigated the facility. The agency's publicly available childcare monitoring record lists findings involving "Grabbing and Pulling" and "Failure of Employees and Caregivers to Demonstrate Competency, Good Judgment, Self-control."
The agency's findings are documented in its childcare monitoring and inspection record.
The Learning Experience provided the following statement to CBS News Texas:
"The safety and well-being of every child in our care is our highest priority. We will not make any further comments as this is an ongoing legal matter."
Wilson said she hopes sharing her experience encourages other parents to speak up if they have concerns about their children's care.
"Just to let other parents know, to trust their instincts, never second-guess yourself if they feel like something is wrong. Just to speak up," she said.
