License of a daycare center revoked for safety reasons – owner speaks out

CHARLOTTE, NC — In February, state officials revoked the license of an East Charlotte daycare, and nearly five months later, the owner is speaking to WCNC Charlotte about what happened.

Midwood Learning Academy, located at 2519 Central Avenue, had its license revoked on February 26, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Child Development and Early Education.

The daycare’s license has been suspended “to protect the health, safety and welfare of children,” the state’s order states. According to state records, Midwood Learning Academy has been open since 2021.

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The order did not detail what led to the closure, but said information was received on Friday, February 23, that led to an investigation.

A Charlotte family, who asked not to be identified, said they raised concerns after a photo surfaced showing children crammed into a car without car seats. A father whose daughter is in the photo told WCNC Charlotte in February that a friend called him and reported children playing unsupervised in Cordelia Park in Plaza Midwood. But the children were not completely unsupervised. The father said they were being watched by two people in a car. Eventually the children were called back, and then the father’s friend confronted the adults, and the car tried to speed away.

“My daughter is lying on the lap of other children who are not wearing a seat belt and she is about to fall out,” he said. “It’s just unbelievable.”

WCNC Charlotte spoke with one of the daycare’s owners, Shirley Torrence, who was willing to explain her side of the story.

“You As you can see, the lady ripped open the door and tried to pull the child out of the car.” Torrence WCNC Charlotte said. “They allegedly then took off, and you can see her reflection in the car as she took pictures of the teacher. Then it was fight or flight. We have a letter here saying that no drugs or alcohol were found in the employees’ bodies, and we were exonerated.”

Torrence apologized to the parents in February and again now.

“There was just no structure at all and there were real systemic problems at the daycare that were putting these children’s lives in danger. It’s crazy to say that out loud,” the father said.

The department encourages anyone who needs to file a complaint against a child care center to do so here on the NCDHHS website.

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