FISHERS -
Parents are defending a Fishers day care center where a worker was arrested for battery.
The worker at Primrose Gray Eagle Preschool on Olio Road, 30-year-old Kristy Lopez was charged with battering a three-year-old. Police say Lopez slammed the child into the floor more than once, breaking a bone in the child's foot.
The day care center released a statement about the incident, saying Lopez "resigned immediately" and that the preschool alerted state licensing and Child Protective Services and "have cooperated fully in this investigation."
At pick-up Tuesday, mother Heather Madden said she has no worries about the safety of her children.
"Oh, my children are more than safe," she said.
Other parents say the incident was isolated.
"My daughter was four years at the school and its never happened," said one parent.
"I think it speaks volumes the children have stayed, including the ones that were involved," said another.
Eyewitness News checked a state website that tracks data on licensed day care centers, a good place to visit if you're searching for day care or just checking up on your child's preschool.
Two incidents reported in recent months showed up for Primrose in the database.
"Two caregivers returned to class and unknowingly left a child on the playground with another class," read one report.
"A reminder, staff shall not use physical punishment," read another, from about the time police opened the Lopez case.
As with all licensed day care, the data goes back three years. In 2009, inspectors found staff was not always using shoulder cloths when handling infants and spray bottle contents weren't clearly labeled.
If you're looking for a day care center, you can call Indiana Child Care Resource and Referral at 1-800-299-1627 to speak with a live person to help you find a day care.
