Daycare workers fired for video of baby posted on social media

Two daycare workers are fired over what they posted on social media.  So what were the employees doing to a baby that ended with them being terminated?  Well, there was a sick baby at Little Jackets Nest Daycare, and instead of cleaning him up, two workers pulled out a cell phone, started recording and posted a video which shows the two workers laughing at how the baby has cured their baby fever.

The camera pans to vomit on the floor and shows the baby’s onesie dirty and soiled in the back.

"I was very upset and I felt my son had been embarrassed and humiliated and he’s too young to know what those emotions feel like,” says the mother of the 6-month old-baby Tori Rude.  Rude says she was even more upset when daycare officials didn’t inform her of the video which was shot last Thursday.

Instead, she says another teacher at the facility told her about it on Sunday and showed her the two videos which were posted on social media.

"They made my son a joke. They made him out to be amusement to them and their friends," Rude says. 

The two workers are 18 and 20 years old.  Although one is the daughter of an assistant director at the daycare, the two workers were fired Monday when the daycare owner found out.   

“I’m very sorry this happened.  What they did was against the policy and that’s not what we do.  We love our babies.  That isn’t how we treat our babies,” daycare owner Lisa Hues says.     

Rude says although the employees were terminated, her 6-month-old baby will not be returning to the daycare.

"He can’t help that he has acid reflux and he throws up as often as he does.  It’s painful for him.  I’m sure it is.  I have acid reflux and it’s painful for me," Rude says.             

Lisa Hues says she opened Little Jackets Nest Daycare in Alvin eight years ago because her son was born with webbed feet and a teacher at his daycare pulled off his socks and was laughing about his feet with other workers.  She says when another employee told her about it she immediately opened Little Jackets to "do for other parents what I wanted someone to do for me."

So, as a parent, how can you thoroughly check out a daycare center before leaving your baby in their hands?  I went looking for tips from the state.  This is from the Health & Human Services Commission:

We always encourage parents to research their options, find licensed or registered child care in their area, and check the inspection record at TXChildCareSearch.org. We also advise parents to visit the child care operation while children are there, look around and talk with the director or whoever is in charge”.  The state also says "If an individual needs to report a serious incident or suspects child abuse or neglect, they can report it online at www.txabusehotline.org or by calling 1-800-252-5400. For non-abuse/neglect complaints about a child care operation, individuals can contact the Houston local licensing office at 713-940-3009 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to speak with a Licensing Inspector. (Note: Licensing Inspectors are also able to take standard related complaints only.) When we receive a report from someone alleging abuse or neglect or a violation of minimum standards or licensing law, we conduct an investigation.

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