Ex-childcare centre educator charged after allegedly tripping 20-month-old girl; banned from preschool sector

Source: TODAY

SINGAPORE -- A former childcare centre educator was charged in court on Monday (April 22) with ill-treating a child after she allegedly tripped a 20-month-old girl and caused her to fall in a preschool.

The 33-year-old woman, who taught at a centre in the northern part of Singapore, has since been banned by authorities from working in the preschool sector.

The girl and preschool cannot be named due to a court-imposed gag order. The accused is not named as it might identify the victim.

The accused, a Singaporean, was handed two counts of ill-treating a child. Her charge sheet states that she used her leg to trip the girl, causing her to fall at the preschool on Nov 6 last year at about 12.28pm.

She allegedly repeated the act minutes later, causing the girl to fall again.

The acts caused the alleged victim unnecessary physical pain and injury, charge sheets stated.

In a statement to CNA, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) said it was aware of an incident of child mismanagement by a former educator of the preschool against the alleged victim.

ECDA said the child's parents approached the agency a day after the alleged incident to look into the case, as their daughter sustained an injury on her face. ECDA did not specify the injury.

The agency commenced investigations immediately, including an unannounced visit to the preschool, interviews with key witnesses, and verification of records.

"After an initial delay in reviewing CCTV footage due to system issues, the centre notified ECDA of the child mismanagement incident by a former staff member and made a police report on Nov 21, 2023," said a spokesperson.

"Our investigations showed that the child's injury was caused by inappropriate management by a preschool staff."

The accused stopped working in the centre soon after the incident.

ECDA has since taken action against the centre and the preschool staff involved under the Early Childhood Development Centres Regulations, the spokesperson added, but declined to comment further due to the court case.

To safeguard children's safety, ECDA will not allow the accused to work in the preschool sector, the agency said.

The accused indicated to the court that she was not guilty. She will return to court for a further mention of her case on May 20.

If convicted of ill-treating a child, she may be jailed for up to eight years, or fined up to S$8,000, or both.

CNA has reached out to the preschool for comment. CNA