An Ohio grandmother is seeking the closure of a nearby daycare center and the arrest of a staff member who was seen on camera hitting her 1-year-old granddaughter. Avalynn Philips, Vonita Philips’ granddaughter, allegedly bit a worker before being “popped in the mouth” by officers, according to a police report that Atlanta Black Star was able to get.
The Crayons Academy employee was dismissed as soon as daycare employees gave the mother of the kid video of the event on February 2. Phillips asserted that the facility has a culture of abuse and that the accused employee, Dana Collins, ought to be dealt with tougher punishment.
The grandma further charged that the proprietor of the daycare had minimized and rationalized Avalynn’s attack. Because of her color, Phillips feels that her granddaughter’s condition is not receiving enough attention.
According to Phillips, if the complexion of our skin had been different, the result may have been different. Given that it took place in a white community, I believe. It’s a prosecutor of color. It’s a teacher of color. Just my brown grandchild is there, and the cop is white.
She worries that as long as Crayons Academy is still in operation, more weak kids—most of whom are non-verbal—will continue to be abused. Days after the tragedy, she staged demonstrations outside the daycare and demanded its closure.
One of the placards said, “Abuse Happens Here”.
Candyce Allen informed West Carrollton police that her daughter, who turned 2 on March 5, had been slapped, and that she had gotten a call from the daycare at approximately 1:45 p.m. Despite not having any problems with any prior jobs, she informed authorities that her daughter could not speak at this time and had previously bitten Collins.
She was taken into the building by Officer Jared Moore, where they watched a silent video of the event. At 9:19 a.m., Moore claimed to have observed Collins and three children, including Avalynn, coloring on paper at a table. Collins grabbed Avalynn’s hands as she attempted to reach inside a crayon box and stopped her.
According to the investigation, the child then bit Collins on the wrist before the daycare provider struck her in the right face and mouth region. The officer noted that it was hard to determine the strike’s severity from the footage. “When Phillips was struck, she let go of Collins’ hand and gave her a piercing look before pointing her finger. After the encounter, Phillips did not seem to experience any emotion.
Moore said that despite taking evidence photos for the police report, he did not notice any outward signs of injury on the youngster. He informed family services about the occurrence. Avalynn’s face has small red stains on photos that her family took and provided to Atlanta Black Star after the event.
Collins was issued a ticket for endangering a child because of the alleged attack on Avalynn. Phillips, though, feels that the misdemeanor charge is insufficient for her to be prosecuted criminally. The family is also thinking about suing Collins and the daycare in civil court. The culture at the daycare is one of abuse, neglect, and cruelty, but it seems to be ignored, according to Phillips.
Avalynn’s father, Phillips’ son, sent her a panicked text that day, according to Phillips. She posted a review on the Crayons Academy’s Google page, which exposed several further claims. She also saw Collins’ Facebook page included a photo album that was strewn with Confederate flags. The city has a population that is 77% white and 16% black, according to the US Census.
The grandma has mobilized family services and police to conduct a more thorough investigation. In reaction to the event, Allen left her work in order to be at home with Avalynn out of concern that she could expose her to further abuse.
Phillips declared, “I don’t believe any child should attend that daycare.
Another mom charged the center with failing to remember to put her kids on the bus and failing to report any mishaps or injuries. One day, when her 1-year-old was at school, he slipped and struck his head on the pavement; however, the school failed to inform his parents, who learned about it at the end of the day.
The parent said in the review from two years ago that it took her four days to see the video. A parent whose two kids attended Crayons Academy stated, “I think I chose it without doing any research. A former employee described the Crayons’ Academy ethos in a Facebook message to Phillips.
According to the lady named Alyssa in the screenshot sent to Atlanta Black Star, a child who was unable to walk allegedly collapsed and hit her head “quite hard” while being watched by a new instructor. That “didn’t add up” because there were no witnesses or witnesses on-camera video, she stated.
Alyssa also alleged verbal and emotional abuse at the daycare.
Crayons Academy responded to Phillips’ online review by apologizing to Avalynn’s family and denouncing Collins. Nonetheless, the owner described the smack as a “reflex action” in the same answer. The owner responded, “Based on our examination of the camera evidence, we assume that it was a mild slap, still, it was a slap and we condemn it in every manner. We called a management meeting as soon as we watched the video and fired the offending instructor without delay.
Director of the Crayons Academy Elizabeth Drew declined to talk further to Atlanta Black Star but did admit that the employee was fired and later prosecuted. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services conducted an inspection of the daycare on February 8 and discovered that a staff member had used physical punishment on kids, which was assessed to pose a moderate risk.
Keyauna Baber, the state inspector, gave Crayons Academy the go-ahead to do staff training sessions on proper reactions and to submit a remedial action plan by March 31. Nevertheless, on February 28, Marques Phillips, Ayalynn’s father, got a letter from a county family services caseworker stating that Collins’ alleged physical abuse claims were “unsustained.”
The family claimed that following Collins’ arrest, the prosecution went dark. Phillips said that after seeking a copy of the police report, she learned of the former daycare provider’s court date. On March 27, Collins is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing.
Based on the reports she read, the firsthand talks she had with parents, and the former employee, the grandma wants authorities to launch an inquiry into the daycare. Avalynn, one of Phillips’ three granddaughters, was being held especially tightly in the meantime. Knowing that he went through such hardship at such a young age is devastating overall, she added.
