A KinderCare childcare facility in Penn Hills is at the center of an impending lawsuit involving allegations of child abuse.
Two mothers who sent their children to a KinderCare facility in Penn Hills recently hired an attorney and plan to sue over allegations their children were assaulted at the childcare facility. The attorney is Todd Hollis and he will represent the two mothers in their suit alleging their “children were assaulted by a worker at the East Pittsburgh KinderCare Learning Center in Penn Hills.”
One of the mothers is Elisha Terrell. She claims her 2-year-old daughter was one of the victims of the alleged assault. When commenting on the matter, she said, “I’m really upset and sad that my daughter had to go through this and experience something like this at such a very young age.”
The other mother is Edlyzsa Bell-Cole. According to investigators, her 2-year-old son was a victim of the alleged assault as well. She said, “my child is 2 years old, and he is innocent. How could someone want to do something like that? It’s still overwhelming.”
How did the mothers learn of the abuse, though? Well, according to their planned suit, they were informed by Allegheny County Children, Youth, and Families in May that a police investigation was being conducted to look into the “alleged abuse of their children by 27-year-old KinderCare worker Renee Grum.” The KinderCare facility never reached out to the mothers about the abuse.
According to the police investigation, Grum allegedly “told the male child to shut up when he would cry, sprayed him with water from a bottle and picked him up by the arms and struck him against wooden lockers.” As for the little girl, the investigation claims Grum “picked up the little girl by her arms and slammed her down onto the floor.”
When commenting on the investigation, the KinderCare Corporate Office said:
“As part of our standard process, we placed Ms. Grum on administrative leave. She has not been in our center since May and no longer works for KinderCare.”
What prompted Grum to behave the way she did, though? According to police, Grum told them she had many reasons for her behavior, including “personal stress, inconsistency with help in the classroom and a recent move to a new residence.” Additionally, she mentioned she had previously spoken to family members “about considering some sort of treatment for her severe stress.” She added that she “didn’t mean to do anything wrong, and she is sorry.”
Hollis said, “If what they say is true, this person should no longer have any access to children. I think KinderCare bears some responsibility. They should retrain and rehire.”
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 29 in Penn Hills where Grum will face charges for assault and endangering the welfare of children.
This isn’t the first time a KinderCare facility has come under fire, though. Just last year a facility in Bedford came under fire over allegations that a daycare worker stepped on a child before nap time.
Sources:
Two Mothers Hire Attorney For Lawsuit Over Alleged Child Abuse At Penn Hills KinderCare
Join the conversation!