Georgia Daycare Abuse Attorneys

If your child has been a victim of child abuse from daycare, Barnes Cohen & Sullivan has offices in Florida & Georgia to help. Our experienced attorneys are knowledgeable in handling sensitive cases involving childcare negligence and abuse. As parents, we place immense trust in daycare providers to keep our children safe, but when that trust is broken, it can be devastating. Recognizing the signs of abuse and knowing your legal options are essential steps in seeking justice for your child. In this blog, we’ll discuss how to identify daycare abuse, the legal rights available to families, and how our dedicated team can support you through this difficult time.

Action News Jax shares, JoLees Creative Academy in St. Marys, GA is currently being investigated by police regarding child abuse allegations with unexplained injuries.  “It’s just been an insane lack of communication,” said one father, Aaron Sparks. “Kids coming home with busted lips, black eyes, bruises, bumps that just aren’t explained” (Action News Jax). The father of a student was originally told to pick up his child due to a biting incident. When he got to the school, he was then informed his son also had a busted lip. When Sparks asked the daycare for the footage of the injuries, the videos provided did not add up.

Another parent, Tamisha Brown, also noticed their child having unexplained injuries such as bruises, pinch marks and broken skin. Brown asked her child how it happened, and he replied, “my teacher”. Brown then filled out an incident report with the police department and was told she “was the third person this week with the same allegations”. JoLees Creative Academy made a post on their social media account but has not made a formal statement regarding the allegations.

According to records, Action News Jax confirmed the school’s administration had her previous childcare facility in Brunswick, GA shut down by the State of Georgia. At this time, Georgia DECAL said it cannot comment on whether the state will be pursing another investigation into JoLees Creative Academy after recent allegations.

Recent Cases of Abuse at Daycares

NBC News shares another article, “A daycare center at a Georgia church is accused of giving Benadryl to toddlers to make them sleepy for nap time, leading to three arrests and an order to cease operations”.  According to NBC News, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) issued the child care center at a Methodist Church in Forsyth an emergency closure Monday, March 17, 2025 after it said it found violations that put the children in “imminent danger”. Three daycare employees, including the Director, were arrested and charged with cruelty to children and simple battery, failure to report child abuse, and simple battery & a count of cruelty to children from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Hughley, an employee at the daycare, “alleged to have administered Benadryl to three 2-year-old children before nap time on March 2 and March 5 without parental consent” (NBC News). According to the order, a staff member told management, but managers did not inform the children’s parents or discipline Hughley. While Benadryl is primarily used to treat allergies, it can lead to drowsiness. According to the Mayo Clinic, Benadryl should not be given to children under the age of 4. In the Monroe County Sheriff’s report, officers said Hughley gave the children medicine to “make them sleepy for nap time”. It is also reported parents noted their children were “sluggish” and “not normal” when picking them up on multiple days.

NBC News shares, “Further investigation found that staff members at the daycare center would raise their voices at the children “when redirecting them” and routinely wrestle with the 2-year-old children by picking them up and throwing them onto their mats, the order says”.

Types of Daycare Abuse

Abuse is defined by the American Psychological Association as “interactions in which one person behaves in a cruel, violent, demeaning, or invasive manner toward another person or an animal”.

Four Types of Daycare Abuse:

  • Physical abuse consists of forceful or violent acts against a child in daycare. Some examples:
    • Hitting
    • Pushing
    • Shoving
    • Cutting
    • Pinching
    • Pulling hair
    • Using unlawful restraints forcing a child into a stressed position
    • Burning
    • Chemical restraints
    • Biting
    • Withholding food, sleep or medication
  • Emotional abuse may lead to physical abuse. Some examples include:
    • Verbal assaults
    • Yelling
    • Dismissiveness
    • Belittling
    • Limiting physical contact
  • Sexual abuse is any form of sexual conduct with a child. Children are most at risk of being sexually abused by someone they know and trust.
  • Neglect is when a child fails to receive his or hers daily needs such as proper supervision, healthcare, nutrition, or other necessities. Some examples of neglect include:
    • Ignoring
    • Lack of supervision
    • Failing to provide proper food, clothing
    • Not providing adequate shelter
    • Abandoning
    • Not tending to injuries properly
    • Failure to provide a clean environment

Warnings Signs of Daycare Abuse

Recognizing signs of daycare abuse early on is important.  Whether the abuse is physical, emotional, sexual, or neglectful, it can have a long-lasting negative impact on a child and may cause serious physical, emotional, and psychological damage – even to the point of death.

  • Unexplained broken bones, bruises, scratches, burns, bites, or other injuries
  • Repeated injuries
  • Multiple similar injuries
  • Repeated crying or fearfulness of returning to daycare
  • When a child is afraid of a specific person
  • Hunger or thirst every time you pick up child from daycare
  • Flinching when spoken to or touched
  • Anxiousness
  • Age-inappropriate behavior

 

Our trial attorneys represent victims of child abuse and neglect from daycare centers. Parents put their trust in daycare centers to provide a safe environment for their children while they are at work. Unfortunately, many daycares are understaffed or fail to follow proper and safety procedures. As a result, children get seriously injured or die to abuse, negligent, or misconduct. When a child is seriously injured or dies because of the negligence of a facility and/or its staff, Barnes Cohen & Sullivan has the experienced attorneys to hold them accountable.

Barnes Cohen & Sullivan offers free, no-obligation consultations and there is no fee unless we recover money for you in your case. We have offices in Jacksonville, Florida and Kingsland, Georgia, and we handle cases throughout both states.