Austin mother sues day care center, says child abuse seen on camera

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin mother is suing her 2-year-old's former day care center after alleged abuse was seen on the center's live surveillance video, the family said.

The mother is suing The Children's Courtyard located on West William Cannon Drive.

KXAN went to the day care. We were told their legal department would get back to us. We'll update this article when we get a response.

What are the allegations?

The lawsuit stated, in July 2023, the child's father checked on the toddler during the workday through the center's live surveillance video.

According to the lawsuit, he saw a caregiver trying to keep the toddler quiet during naptime by smothering him with a blanket and slapping the child's face and head repeatedly. The child's father immediately left work and reported the incident to the day care's management.

However, they said the center did not report it to state or local police, the lawsuit said. The family has since pulled the child out of the day care center.

What did an investigation find?

This Children's Courtyard location was cited for five violations by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Child-Care Licensing Division, online records showed.

Those citations included physical abuse of a child, using prohibited punishment, allowing a caregiver who posed a risk to a child's safety to remain with children for additional time and failing to report the incident.

The day care center's online records showed 70 deficiencies cited from 2019 to 2024.

The Child Care Regulation (CCR) is a statewide program that regulates child care operations by inspecting and investigating these operations and making sure they meet state standards. 

Reports on every inspection are available online so parents can research a center.

KXAN's Sarah Al-Shaikh is working on this story. You can watch at 10 p.m.