A Brooklyn daycare center has been shut down amid shocking allegations of child abuse and neglect. The Eva Crèche Day Care in Prospect Lefferts Gardens closed its doors in January after parents began sharing disturbing videos taken by an employee that showed children being physically mistreated.
The videos, which were circulated among parents during the holiday break, appear to show employees grabbing and tossing a child, as well as forcing young ones into unapproved settings such as their own home. The footage has left many shaken, with at least eight parents confirming the authenticity of the clips and sharing them with local media outlets.
According to officials, the daycare had been under investigation by the city's Department of Health and Administration for Children's Services since November, although it remains unclear how long this probe was underway before the videos surfaced. The center's owner, Shareese Dukes, has denied any wrongdoing, stating that she took "all necessary measures" after learning about an alleged incident.
However, health department spokesperson William Fowler described the allegations as "horrific and unacceptable," emphasizing that the program is still closed with no children on site and that staff are being closely monitored. The city's Department of Health has vowed to explore whether the daycare can face penalties for violating regulations.
The Eva Crèche Center initially operated within its licensed capacity, but parents claim the center was actually caring for more than 10 children at a time, despite having only been granted permission for 10 slots. Authorities have yet to confirm this, however.
In an email sent to parents in December, the daycare acknowledged that an investigation had begun and stated that they believed it would "progress in our favor as expected." However, following the release of the disturbing videos, the center shut down its doors on January 2, with officials vowing to monitor the situation closely.
As one parent put it, "It's heartbreaking. We send our kids to day care thinking everything is safe and secure, but this experience has shown us that it's not." The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of children in daycare centers across Brooklyn.
The videos, which were circulated among parents during the holiday break, appear to show employees grabbing and tossing a child, as well as forcing young ones into unapproved settings such as their own home. The footage has left many shaken, with at least eight parents confirming the authenticity of the clips and sharing them with local media outlets.
According to officials, the daycare had been under investigation by the city's Department of Health and Administration for Children's Services since November, although it remains unclear how long this probe was underway before the videos surfaced. The center's owner, Shareese Dukes, has denied any wrongdoing, stating that she took "all necessary measures" after learning about an alleged incident.
However, health department spokesperson William Fowler described the allegations as "horrific and unacceptable," emphasizing that the program is still closed with no children on site and that staff are being closely monitored. The city's Department of Health has vowed to explore whether the daycare can face penalties for violating regulations.
The Eva Crèche Center initially operated within its licensed capacity, but parents claim the center was actually caring for more than 10 children at a time, despite having only been granted permission for 10 slots. Authorities have yet to confirm this, however.
In an email sent to parents in December, the daycare acknowledged that an investigation had begun and stated that they believed it would "progress in our favor as expected." However, following the release of the disturbing videos, the center shut down its doors on January 2, with officials vowing to monitor the situation closely.
As one parent put it, "It's heartbreaking. We send our kids to day care thinking everything is safe and secure, but this experience has shown us that it's not." The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of children in daycare centers across Brooklyn.
. How could someone do that to innocent kids?! It’s like, you trust these caregivers with your little ones and they just take advantage of it 
. And yeah, the thought of them taking more kids than they're supposed to is just wild... like a ticking time bomb waiting to happen 
. I mean, I've heard of bad things happening in daycares before but this is on another level. I hope whoever is behind that daycare gets what's coming to them 
. And sorry to all the parents who went through this nightmare 
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I'm not surprised though, I've heard horror stories about daycares before. It's just crazy that these videos were shared and got everyone's attention. The owner is like "I did nothing" but I'm sure she'll be singing a different tune when the penalties come her way 
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It's like, completely unacceptable. I'm not surprised that parents started sharing those videos, we need to know what's going on in these centers! 
The fact that staff is being monitored now is a good start, but it shouldn't have come to this. How many kids had to go through this trauma?! 
how did they not notice something was off?! 
it's no wonder the parents are shaken to the core 
. I'm just hoping that something gets done about it so this doesn't happen again to anyone else...
... I mean, who knew being a nanny could be so wild? 
But seriously, 8 parents came forward with vids of employees being super rough on the little ones? That's just not cool, dude. The owner says all good, but I'm calling BS... like, how can you just "take measures" when your staff is basically child-abusing? 
And btw, if they were caring for 10 kids at a time without permission? That's just a recipe for disaster! 
No wonder the health department is all up in arms. This incident is a major red flag for all parents out there... don't send your mini-mes to that place, trust me! 
that's just not right.
How can we expect our kids to trust us when people like this are out there? 
. As a parent myself, it's terrifying to think about our kids being in the care of people who could be hurting them like that 
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And now the owner's sayin' she took "all necessary measures" 
... yeah right. It sounds like a cover-up to me 
. I mean, how many kids were really in that place? The city's bein' super tight-lipped about this too 
. This whole thing just smells fishy 
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... I mean, isn't it kinda hard to ignore little red flags when they're staring you right in the face? 
Parents trust daycares to give their kids a safe and loving environment, but it's clear that wasn't the case here. I'm so shook by these videos - it's like they're from a horror movie or something 
. I mean, can you even imagine sending your little ones to day care thinking everything is okay, and then finding out they're being treated like that? 
. The fact that parents had to share videos of their kids being physically mistreated just shows how broken the system is