UPDATE: Police have closed their investigation into this incident and found there was no criminal intent.
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) – Police in James City County are investigating an alleged incident at Childcare Network Monday.
Alejiha James said her daughter Leala is non-speaking and has special needs, including a condition called hydrocephalus, which can impact the drainage of fluid around the brain.
The daycare called James to tell her that Leala had fallen.
The mother rushed Leala to the hospital for a CT scan and contacted child protective services. The following day, she took Leala to CHKD.
“We can’t see inside her brain,” James said. “Every time she’s fallen, we’ve done that.”
She said doctors told her Leala appears OK following the incident, but she needs to be monitored. She said her daughter has gross motor delays and falls often, but these injuries are unusual.
“She’s fallen and gotten a knot before, but eventually it’ll go away,” James said. “But this time, her eye – her eye is black. It was swollen shut to the point where she just started opening her eye.”
On Friday, a representative from Childcare Network called James, saying she’d just watched video footage of the incident. She described the footage, claiming Leala climbed on top of a bookshelf and fell. The representative said James could not view the footage herself because it shows other children.
“It’s feeling like y’all are hiding something from me and my child because she can’t speak,” James told 10 On Your Side. “Y’all are giving me the run around for a video. If nothing happened, like y’all say it was just an accident like she just fell, y’all could have showed me the video.”
Childcare Network declined a request for an interview, but wrote an email to 10 On Your Side stating that its unable to share information about a child’s health or disability. It wrote:
“Recently, a child suffered an injury as a result of a fall in the classroom. The child was not left alone and the classroom was in compliance with state licensing ratios. We require all employees to report incidents to their school Director. We have notified licensing and are investigating the cause of the accident.
The physical and mental well-being of the children and families we care for is of utmost importance to us. We are grateful to our families for the privilege of caring for their children and take this responsibility, and any concerns, very seriously.“
– Childcare Network Corporate Office
James said she will continue to seek access to video of the incident. She said her family is consulting with an attorney.
Other parents tell 10 On Your Side that they trust the daycare, and worry that the incident could force them to find other care for their children.
