A four-year-old boy suffered a head injury at a childcare centre near Bathurst, Australia, after reportedly being pushed onto a bed. Police allege that a staff member at Grow Early Education in Kelso forced the boy onto the bed, causing him to hit his head and suffer a two-centimetre cut in August.
On Tuesday, the police officers went to the home of the 24-year-old woman accused of the incident in Kelso and placed her under arrest. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was booked into the Bathurst Police Station and is now facing a charge of reckless wounding, according to Sky News.
She was later granted conditional bail and is scheduled to appear before Bathurst Local Court on October 29. Hours after the alleged incident was reported, the woman was fired from her job. The matter was also referred to the Department of Education.
Families send their children to early education centres with the expectation of care and protection, and the thought of harm occurring inside such facilities cuts deep. Grow Early Education operates multiple sites across three states. While the Kelso, one of their 15 locations, has security cameras, the presence of surveillance has done little to calm immediate concerns.
Sky News reported that, in recent months, the childcare industry has been under increasing scrutiny after several alarming cases surfaced, ranging from children being released to the wrong guardians to shocking reports of unsafe practices. One of the incidents involved childcare workers taping children’s mouths shut. It is alleged that they did this for a so-called “breathing exercise”.
In July, the federal government responded by promising tougher measures, including higher standards and closer oversight of facilities. Grow Early Education is expected to issue a formal statement to parents and staff, signed by chief executive Bill Adler, outlining its response to the charge.