HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A state inspection report details how a teacher at a Henrico KinderCare hurt children, and a daycare director now faces charges for failing to report potential abuse.
Henrico prosecutors claim Bethany Davis pinched, flicked and pulled the hair of seven different children at the KinderCare on Cedar Fork Road in March, April and June of this year.
LaVesha Ingram's 2-year-old son, Vee, was among the children allegedly targeted.
"She was popping him, pinching him, popping on his hands, and ain't no telling what else she was doing to my son," Ingram said before starting to cry.
The inspection report on the Virginia Department of Social Services website does not name the teacher at the center of the inspection, but it does detail a teacher hurting children.
It says someone submitted a complaint to the state licensing office on June 10, which prompted a state inspector to visit the KinderCare on Cedar Fork Road on June 16.
The inspector conducted a lengthy inspection that lasted over a month and found a number of violations.
According to the report:
A teacher in the 2-year-old room admitted to pinching, striking hands and forcefully placing children into chairs on a daily basis for approximately two months.
Other staff said they witnessed that teacher slamming a child into a chair, grabbing children by both arms and yanking them into chairs, and slinging a child who was playing with a toy they were not supposed to have — which caused the child to strike his head and cry.
A member of management reported the teacher appeared increasingly burned out and expressed frustration that the children were not listening.
The teacher reported repeatedly telling management she needed help and was overwhelmed.
The state inspector also noted center staff who had reason to suspect child abuse failed to immediately report incidents to DSS.
Ingram said her son's inability to communicate what happened made the situation even more difficult.
"I'm mad, angry, upset because for one my son can't tell me what is going on and who is doing something to him," Ingram said.
Henrico police charged the director of the daycare, Laressa Jefferson, with failing to report potential abuse on two separate occasions.
Ingram said she has since removed her son from the facility.
"I took my son out of the daycare where he is going to be much safer," Ingram said.
She said the facility should face consequences.
"No, they do not need to be open, they need to be closed, and I feel like all of us need to be compensated, this is unacceptable," Ingram said.
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