Worker fired after child abuse incident at Overland Park daycare

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A Johnson County, Kansas, childminder appears to be out of a job after allegations of abuse were made more than a week ago.

The alleged incident occurred at Kiddi’s College in Overland Park. A now former employee who spoke to FOX 4 last weekrecorded the incident, which appeared to show a worker grabbing a young boy’s arm and hitting herself in the face with it.

Before the incident, she said the little boy hit the worker after she took a toy from her.

“This is a three-year-old. There is simply no excuse to respond to a child like that as an adult,” said Ben Friesen, a Johnson County attorney who represents the child through his mother, Kylah, who first contacted him last week.

In the video, a woman can be heard saying: “You hit me, I hit you.” Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself,” and hit yourself in the face with the child’s arm.

“I have a 3-year-old child; it can’t happen. “This can’t happen to a daycare center with an innocent 3-year-old in a daycare center,” added Friesen, who said Kylah had taken all of her children out of the kiddi center but had unanswered questions. “She just didn’t get any answers as to how, why or when? Is this the only time? That’s what we hope to find out.”

Another parent, whose child also goes to Overland Park Kiddi College, messaged FOX4 on Wednesday through Brightwheel, which she said the center uses to send parents news and updates.

Wednesday’s statement said, in part: “We (Kiddi colleague) have decided that it is in the best interests of the center that we terminate Miss {Redacted}’s employment with Kiddi colleague.”

Because the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office has not charged her with anything, FOX4 is not naming her. However, the police confirm that the investigation is still ongoing.

Friesen said the little boy is doing well, but he has been through a lot recently.

“He lost his father a few months before this happened. It adds to the shock factor that you have a 3-year-old kid having to deal with this, and that’s something a 3-year-old kid isn’t equipped to handle. Then there is an adult at daycare that the three-year-old trusts, who treats him like that and beats himself with his own hands. He’s trying to deal with the loss of his father and then this happens in daycare,” Friesen said.

When FOX4 spoke with Kiddi’s colleague last Friday, they said they followed protocol after the incident, which included notifying the health department and reporting the employee to the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

FOX4 reached out to DCF for more information but was told an investigation could neither be confirmed nor denied.

As for the three-year-old boy, after the incident, Friesen said his mother asked him if it hurt, to which he replied, “I don’t know.” She then asked if it made him sad. He responded, “Yes.” Friesen said, “As a parent of a three-year-old, I hear that and I hear, ‘Yes, it hurt him.'”

Friesen said a civil lawsuit against the employee is expected to be filed later this month. FOX4 called Kiddi’s colleague four times and left a voicemail Friday but never received a response.