I enrolled my daughter in September 2019 into daycare at the Woodlands Learning Barn located in Broussard, LA.
Upon arriving to pick her up one evening during her first week I witnessed a teacher displaying concerning behavior. She was yelling at the children, yanked a little girl by her arm while pushing her with her other hand, and pulled another little boy by his arm. Before we left she changed my daughter's diaper because she had a bowel movement. She did a poor job in cleaning her, as she wiped from back to front. I immediately brought this to the director's attention. I was called the next day by the owner who told me they spoke with the teacher as well as wrote her up. She told me they reviewed the camera footage and did not see any wrongdoing on the teacher's part.
Since then, my daughter has been bitten three times.The first time the child left a bruise on her arm where I was able to see each individual tooth on top and bottom. The second occasion they said happened when she and another student were playing. The latest biting incident occurred on December 30, 2019 and was done by the same child who bit her the first time.The bite had broken the skin and blood was drawn. From the picture it appeared to be a scratch, but in person you can see there was some puncture. I called her doctor who instructed me on proper care.
I was very upset to hear my daughter was bitten for a third time. I went in to speak with the director. I explained to her that I was very upset and felt the child was developing a biting trend. I explained that I no longer wanted her around the little boy because this was the second time he had done this. They were very defensive of said student and almost made an attempt to say it was my daughter's fault because she took a toy. They kept telling me was there was a bite policy in place they were following. The director agreed they would not be in the same class anymore and that she would move her to a different area. I expressed that I did not want my child removed because she had an attachment to her teacher and the other students so I felt it would be punishing her when she did nothing wrong. They tried to use an excuse they felt she was bored and could benefit from a different room, but I stood my ground with my request. Before leaving I explained I was giving them one last chance, but if it happened again from the same child, I would remove her.
The next day I had made two attempts to call the director that day to speak with her, but did not receive a phone call back. Instead, I spoke with her when I picked up my child. I explained to her that I went home and reflected on the situation and decided that since my daughter and the little boy are friends, I do not want them to be separated. I felt like that would have been punishing my child and that was not something I wanted to do. She sympathized that she understood and was respectful of my decision and the fact I thought about it. I explained I felt we could come up with alternate solutions to correct the problem, and she agreed.
On the evening of January 3, 2020, I received a phone call from the owner. She explained that she had been out of town the past week but was aware of the situation. She then went on to say that she felt I was unhappy with the facility and the care my daughter was receiving, so she felt it was best I find another daycare to bring her to. When I asked her why my child was being ejected because of something another student did, she scoffed and told me not to try and turn the situation around on them. She then said this was the second time I had a problem with one of their teachers and she could not have that happening that she had a business to run. My problem was not with the teacher, but with how the biting problem was being handled, and I had made that very clear in previous conversations with the director. She told me my daughter was welcome to come back on Monday if I did not have a place for her, but she felt like I needed to find another facility for her after that. She kept telling me kids bite one another and stuff happens and "that is what it is". At the end of the conversation I told her maybe I should go find another daycare that can take better care of my child and watch the kids more closely. She laughed and said "Yea, okay", as if to say I won't find one. She also told me the child's parents were very upset that I did not want my daughter around him and that I felt he was aggressive. His parent's should in no way know my daughter's name or have been told what was said in our conversations.
During the phone call the owner told me that the director, Brandi, recorded both conversations.The first conversation was held in their office.The second was held on the daycare floor during nap time. I was whispering and there were lullabies being played via the speaker system, so there is no way the camera system in place was able to record us speaking. I firmly believe our conversation was secretly read more
