GREEN TWP., Ohio — On Monday, Markesha Hunter pulled her toddler from Dreams Do Come True Early Learners Academy because of injuries she said her one-year-old son sustained while at the daycare center.
“He’s one, he can't speak for himself,” said Markesha Hunter. "I'm not going to be able to sleep, until I know what happened to my baby."
She said her son's injuries, including what she said is a bite wound on his cheek, could have been prevented.
"All you see is a bite mark on his cheek,” she said.
Hunter said the owner of the daycare told her her son was bitten by another child in the facility.
"I said 'ok, how did she get on top of him, where were the staff? Where were you?' She couldn't really answer my questions,” said Hunter.
Hunter said she was livid because this is not the first time an injury has shown up on her child since he was enrolled last fall. She said there have been at least three different incidents where the child was scratched, bitten or sent home with bleach stains on his clothing.
"I said, 'so you cant just watch the cameras?'” said Hunter. She said the owner told her they needed to know the exact time of the assault to pull surveillance video, and no one could determine exactly when Hunter's son was injured.
On Monday, Hunter took her concerns to the Green Township police, 241-KIDS and to her child's doctor.
"Where were the adults that let this happen?” she said. “Because if a kid gets to a point where they are on top of my child someone was not paying attention."
Green Township police said, they looked into Hunter's claims and didn't find any criminal wrongdoing. They handed the case over to 241-KIDS in case there was a compliance issue that needed to be investigated.
When WCPO went to the daycare Tuesday, the doors were locked. A delivery driver showed up at the same time and an employee opened the door to receive the package but refused to answer any questions from WCPO.
An online search on the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services website revealed that Dreams Do Come True has dozens of findings in compliance records dating back to April 2021.
In October, an inspector determined a "serious incident" resulting in an injury was not reported to the agency's licensing and quality system by the next business day, as the rule requires. In that same report, a child care staff member was found to have been talking on the phone for an extended period of time, which the state says was not appropriate care and supervision for the children.
Much of the findings were administrative in nature and since the reports the daycare has been ordered to submit corrective action plans.
Hunter said she feels betrayed by the daycare.
"I'm leaving him in your care and he's being tortured, basically,” she said. “This is like the fourth time. So it's like, he's not been well taken care of."
Daycare and childcare facilities' ratings and state inspection records are available for any parent online.
