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On February 23, 2026, the Office of Childhood received allegations that on February 20, 2026, caregiver, Niki Michael was observed on video grabbing children by their arms. This was observed with three children within a four-minute time frame. Niki lifted one child up off the ground by one arm. Niki dragged another child (female) across the room by one arm. Once Niki and the child were near the table, Niki roughly placed the child in a chair. After completing an investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Jackie Ruth found these allegations to be substantiated based on the following rule violations:
5 CSR 25-500.102(1)(E) which states: "Caregivers shall have knowledge of the needs of children and shall be sensitive to the capabilities, interests, and problems of children in care."
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5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)2. which states: "Expectations for a child's behavior shall be appropriate for the developmental level of that child."
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5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)3. which states: "Only constructive, age-appropriate methods of discipline shall be used to help children develop self-control and assume responsibility for their own actions."
On February 24, 2026, CI Ruth conducted an unannounced inspection of the facility and held in person interviews with the director, Madeline Mueller, Parent A (parent of Child A and staff member), and caregiver, Niki Michael. Madeline stated that Parent D (parent of Child D) called on February 20, 2026, and informed her that she was viewing the classroom video camera and witnessed Niki pulling children by one arm. Madeline watched the video footage and understood Parent D's concerns. Madeline identified the children involved as Child A (2-years-old), Child B (2-years-old), and Child C (2-years-old). Madeline said that the children had dumped out a bucket of crayons and Niki was pulling them off the crayons by one arm as a quick reaction to prevent the kids from falling. None of the children had any injuries. She could tell Niki was overstimulated and stressed, and said Niki needs more coaching and she was talked to about how to correctly pick up children. She provided two handouts to all staff members that explain Nursemaid's Elbow and she told Niki that if she is feeling stressed or overwhelmed, she needs to call for support immediately. She moved Niki to a three-year-old classroom for now and they are going to combine the two's and three's classrooms so there are two teachers present. Madeline spoke with the parents involved and offered to show them the footage. Madeline viewed other footage of Niki in the classroom and determined that this appeared to be an isolated incident.
Parent A said she and her husband viewed the footage and they feel comfortable with Niki caring for Child A. Parent A stated that she has worked with Niki at a previous child care center and had no concerns about her interactions with children. She feels that Niki is coachable, and this would never happen again.
Niki stated that Child B and Child C were throwing crayons during a table activity. Child A picked up the bucket of crayons and dumped them on the floor, and then Child A, Child B, and Child C were stepping on the crayons and wobbling. She wanted to prevent them falling, so she was grabbing them by one hand and pulling them off the crayons. She said she picked up Child A and sat her at a table and then sat Child C at another table. Niki said that Child C goes limp when she holds her hand. Niki stated that she has always taken children by the hand and lifted them up and has not received training to let go of a child's hand when they go limp. She said she was telling the kids to pick up the crayons and that is why she picked them up by their arms. She stated she was frustrated and did not realize how rough she was until she watched the video. She thought she could gain control of this situation and that is why she did not call for help. Madeline and Parent A told her she needs to call for help if it becomes chaotic again.
CI Ruth observed the video footage that is timestamped on February 20, 2026, from 9:41 a.m. to 9:43 a.m. and there is no audio. CI Ruth observed that Child A threw a bucket of crayons on the floor, followed by Child C picking it up and dumping out all of the crayons. Child A, Child B, and Child C then stood on top of the crayons. Niki grabbed Child C by one arm, above the elbow, and swiftly pulled her off the crayons. Child C's feet left the ground for approximately one second as she was placed behind Niki's body. Niki then grabbed Child B by the wrist and pulled him off the crayons next to Child C. His feet did not leave the ground. Child A threw a crayon and Niki squatted down to Child C, grabbed her at the wrist of one arm and swiftly pulled Child A to her face and spoke to her. Child C walked away from the Crayons and Niki followed her. Niki grabbed Child C by one wrist and lifted her body up in the air as she carried her by the wrist back to the crayons and plopped her onto her bottom by the pile of crayons. Child C's feet left the ground for approximately four seconds. Child A, Child B, and Child C continued to step on the crayons. Niki grabbed Child C by one arm, at the elbow, pulled her away swiftly, and put her into a sitting position while still holding her elbow. Child A then picked up the bucket and threw it twice. Niki picked up Child A by both arms, above the elbows, as she spun around and swung Child A to her hip and to walked to a table. Child A's head was observed to fall back as she was picked up. Niki swiftly placed Child A in a chair and scooted her into the table. Child C then ran away with the bucket. Niki went toward her and Child C ran away from Niki. Niki grabbed Child C by one arm, at the wrist, and snatched the bucket away from Child C. Niki held Child C by her wrist as she walked her over to another table. Child C's feet did not leave the ground, but she was observed to struggle to keep up as she was pulled. Niki picked Child C up with two hands, under her arms, and roughly sat Child C down into the chair and pushed it into the table. Niki put the bucket back on the floor at the pile of crayons and is observed with her hands on her hips speaking to the other children and shaking her head.
CI Ruth observed the two handouts that Madeline provided about Nursemaid's Elbow and the documentation she wrote following the incident. The handouts define Nursemaid's Elbow and ways to prevent it. The documentation was observed to be a short summary of what occurred and stated that they couched Niki, and moving forward if this behavior occurs again, it will result in termination.
On February 25, 2026, CI Ruth conducted an interview via phone with Parent B (parent of Child B) and Parent D. Parent B stated that Madeline contacted her about the situation, and she viewed the video footage. She said she was not happy with it because it was not a correct form of redirection, but she knows that Child B and his friends can cause a lot of chaos, so she understands Niki's frustration. She stated that Child B did not seem to be phased by it and Niki did not pull his arm hard enough to hurt him, but it was to get him off the crayons. She said Madeline was unsure yet how they would fully handle the situation, but they would either let Niki go or provide additional training. Child B still attends the facility and she does not have concerns about Niki. She does not necessarily think Niki should be fired, but additional training should be provided about redirection.
Parent D said she was viewing the classroom's live camera on the morning of February 20, 2026, when she saw a little girl yanked by one arm forcefully, and pulled and dragged across the room by Niki. The girl was put in a chair and a boy was also pulled by one arm. She spoke with Madeline, who viewed the video footage while they were on the phone together. Madeline acknowledged that this was not okay and said they would coach Niki right away. Madeline told her it is not their policy to handle children this way and that Niki would be moved to a different classroom. She stated that she still saw Niki in Child D's class a few times after that on the camera. Child D (2-years-old) was not involved in this interaction, but she removed Child D from the facility because she does not feel he is safe there.
On February 25, 2026, CI Ruth observed an email exchange between Parent D and Madeline. Parent D initiated the conversation on February 22, 2026, and listed a recap of what she witnessed on the camera between Niki and the children. Parent D said that Niki yanked a little girl's arm and pulled/partially dragged her across the floor and forcefully placed her into a chair. She also observed Niki yank a little boy by the arm. She shared her concerns about the inappropriate handling of children and injury risk. Madeline replied February 23, 2026, and stated that she watched several hours of camera footage to evaluate Niki's overall behavior. She said this appeared to be an isolated incident, and that she did not observe additional concerns. She said they have formally documented the incident and began coaching Niki, and if anything similar were to occur that Niki would be immediately removed from the center.
On February 26, 2026, CI Jackie Ruth conducted an interview via phone with Parent C (parent of Child C). Parent C stated that she was told by Madeline about the situation. She viewed the video footage and saw that Niki yanked Child C by the arm. She does not think it should have happened, but did not think the interaction was bad enough to open an investigation. She said Child C was not hurt and probably does not remember it happened. Child C still attends the facility, and she does not have ongoing concerns about Niki. She feels like the facility is handling the situation properly, but thinks the two-year-old's might not be the right age group for Niki to be with.
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