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Daycare teacher fired after children, including 1-year-old, left unattended in yard

Daycare teacher fired after children, including 1-year-old, left unattended in yard
Posted at 4:10 AM, Oct 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-04 00:14:11-04

ATLANTA (WGCL/CNN) - After at least two children at a Georgia daycare were allegedly left unattended outside in the yard for more than 10 minutes, the teacher involved has been fired, the daycare says.

Lacinda Smiley, the mother of 1-year-old Zoe, who is one of the children seen on a Facebook video showing the alleged incident at Childcare Network Daycare, says she’s angry about what happened.

"The teachers neglected my baby along with another child while they stood and had a conversation away from the kids. The people who get paid to watch my child – we pay good money for this – they weren't doing their job,” Smiley said.

While inside the doctor’s office next door, an unidentified woman recorded the video, which shows Zoe and another child playing unattended in a side yard outside the daycare.

“They've left this baby sitting right here by this door. And this one is over here, playing with some pipes against the wall,” said the woman in the video, which was posted to Facebook.

The woman said she watched the scene for at least 10 to 15 minutes, and no employees checked on the children.

“They're just down here by themselves. I could easily jump the fence if I wanted to and be off with them,” she said in the video.

Smiley says upon learning of the alleged incident, she pulled both of her children out of the daycare. She says the daycare has since sent her a nondisclosure offer of $485.

"To shut up – that's what they want from me. They want us to be quiet, not say anything, and they give us the $485. That's not how it works. This is my child; my child is priceless,” she said.

The district manager of Childcare Network said a daycare teacher has been fired following the incident. It is not clear, despite allegations, if there were any other daycare employees involved.

Copyright 2018 WGCL, Facebook via CNN. All rights reserved.