Massachusetts woman accused of assault at daycare after report states child was held down for approx. 45 minutes

A Massachusetts woman has been charged with allegedly assaulting a child at a local daycare.

According to police, after an investigation by the state Department of Children and Families, the Plympton Police Department, and the state Department of Early Education and Care, a criminal complaint was issued charging 36-year-old Stephanie D. Jones of Carver with one count of Assault and Battery on a Child with Injury.

The complaint alleges that Jones assaulted a child while working in the infant room at Puddle Jumpers Day Care in Plympton in October, 2022.

According to a report released by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, an investigation was launched in October concerning Puddle Jumpers. According to the investigation outcome, it was determined that “DCF and EEC found reasonable cause to believe that the marks (petechiae) found on the child’s neck area were a result of the educator holding the child down in a crib in an attempt to get him to fall asleep.”

The investigative report went on to say that “educators had concerns that (the) child may have been injured by an educator but did not immediately file a report with DCF. Educators maintained that they feared retaliation due to the involved educator being related to the director. An educator was observed with her hand on a child who was lying face down in a crib while not sleeping. It was reported that the educator held the child down for approximately forty-five minutes. An educator in the same classroom stated that the child was unable to move while being held down.”

“Two educators used their personal cell phones to take pictures of a child’s injury”, according to the report. “The pictures were shared with other staff members. One educator shared the pictures with an administrator from another childcare program.”

Jones was arraigned on November 3, 2022, where she pled not guilty to the charge. The court ordered Jones to stay away and have no contact with children. She is no longer employed at the daycare.

Jones is next scheduled to appear in court on April 24, 2023.