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On May 13, 2026, the Office of Childhood received an allegation that on May 7, 2026, at around 2:00 p.m. Montana Reece, teacher, came to the office and informed the director, Ronda Irving, that Child A (4-years-old) fell off the cot and hit their head near the corner of their eye. Ronda then observed the video footage and saw Montana kick Child A in the head causing the injury. After completing an investigation, Compliance Inspector (CI) Jackie Ruth found this allegation to be substantiated based on the following rule violations:
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."
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5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)7. which states: "Physical punishment including, but not limited to, spanking, slapping, shaking, biting, or pulling hair shall be prohibited."
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5 CSR 25-500.182(1)(C)8. which states: "No discipline technique which is humiliating, threatening, or frightening to children shall be used. Children shall not be shamed, ridiculed, or spoken to harshly, abusively, or with profanity."
On May 13, 2026, CI Ruth conducted an unannounced inspection of the facility and held in-person interviews with the director, Ronda Irving, the owner, Jackie Lindsey, caregivers, Alisa Carter and Erica Thigpen, and children, Child B (2-years-old) and Child C (4-years-old). Ronda and Erica stated that Montana brought Child A to the front and reported to them that Child A fell on her cot and hit her head. They took a picture, cleaned the wound, and told Parent A (grandmother and guardian of Child A) what was reported to them. Ronda said that when Parent A picked-up Child A to take her to the doctor, she came back into the building and said that Child A told her that "Tina" kicked her. Ronda called Jackie and they reviewed video footage, which confirmed that Montana kicked Child A, causing her to fall and hit her head on the side of her cot. Ronda said that the kids call Montana, "Tana", which she believes is why Child A said "Tina" kicked her. They called Parent A to let her know that what Child A reported was true. Jackie and Ronda removed Montana from the classroom and fired her immediately. They said Montana has worked there for approximately two years and there have been no concerning interactions or incidents involving her. Jackie said that there are always additional staff members available for support and Montana should have asked for help if she was feeling frustrated. Jackie held a mandatory staff meeting that afternoon where she reminded staff about mandated reporting responsibilities, and told them to walk away from childcare if they are unhappy or do not like this job.
Alisa said that Child A is a good kid who is sweet and sassy, and does not have a lot of behavior issues. She was in the classroom at the time of the incident, but did not see what happened because she had her head down while she was helping another child. She heard Child A crying and then Montana walked out with Child A to bring her to the front. She had no prior concerns about Montana. Child B and Child C said that Alisa and "Tana" are their teachers and they are nice. They like to play at school.
CI Ruth observed the photo that was taken at the facility of Child A's injury. CI Ruth observed a circular puncture wound on the right side of Child A's head, located at the edge of the brow bone. CI Ruth observed that the wound was approximately the size of a dime.
CI Ruth observed video footage of staff member, Montana Reece, kicking Child A in the chest, causing her to fall onto the corner of her cot. The video is timestamped on May 7, 2026, at 3:35 p.m. and is 18.62 seconds long. CI Ruth observed multiple cots set out in the room and two children sitting up on their cots, including Child A. Montana was observed to be standing to the right of Child A, on the other side of a shelf. Montana pointed toward Child A twice and said, "He's right next to you." Montana then walked toward Child A and stated, "you heard me" as she proceeded to put her left foot to Child A's chest and kick her down. Child A was observed falling down onto the cot where the right side of her head hit the corner of the cot. CI Ruth heard Child A say, "Ow" as she brought her hands to her head and began to cry.
CI Ruth observed an incident report written by Ronda and dated May 7, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. It states that Montana came to the office and reported that Child A fell and hit the side of her eye on the cot, but after reviewing footage, it was discovered that Montana kicked Child A causing her to fall and hit her head.
CI Ruth observed the employee termination letter for Montana Reece. The form is dated May 7, 2026, and signed by Ronda and Montana. The document states that Montana's employment is officially terminated because she kicked Child A causing her injuries. The letter also states that this is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, and the situation will be reported to DESE.
On May 15, 2026, CI Ruth conducted an interview via phone with Parent A. She received a text from Erica Thigpen that Child A was playing on her cot and fell and hit her head. When she arrived, Child A was conscious, and they had applied ice and a Band-Aid. They took a picture of the injury, and it was a puncture wound. She took Child A to the car and Child A told her that Ms. Tina kicked her. She then went back into the school to report this and was told nobody by the name of Tina works there, but they would watch the camera footage and get back to her. She left and took Child A to the emergency room where the doctor glued the wound closed. They called her back after watching the footage and confirmed that Child A was kicked by her teacher, Montana, which caused Child A to fall and hit her head on the cot. They fired the teacher right away and she contacted the police. Child A has a history of seizures and has been seizure free for two years; however, following the head injury, Child A has had multiple seizures and has been more aggressive than normal. She will be sending Child A back to the center because they handled the situation well, the other staff are wonderful, and her kids love going to the facility. She said that Jackie is awesome and came to visit them at home following the incident.
CI Ruth attempted to conduct an interview via phone with Montana but was unsuccessful due to the phone number being disconnected.
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