<body><div>An Oakland daycare center has been permanently closed amid allegations that staff routinely dished out cruel punishment to children entrusted into their care. The owner of the daycare, Cynthia Jackson Burns, has now been barred from ever working with children in any capacity for the rest of her life. State Investigators said that Burns allegedly 'whipped' and inflicted 'corporal punishment' on young children at SmallTrans Bears daycare in Downtown Oakland. Authorities also say that she allegedly allowed staff working at the daycare to verbally and physically abuse the children. No charges have been filed as of yet but state regulators have suspended Burns' license and shut down the daycare center back in July. A criminal investigation remains ongoing according to state officials. An anonymous text message is what first alerted parents to the alleged abuse. It read: "Children are being pinched, thrown around, grabbed aggressively and their belongings are being thrown around as well."<ul><li>Former 'Survivor' contestant and pastor 'covered' 4-year-old's face until he went 'limp'</li><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Boe5Z_0vjr5dXP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Boe5Z_0vjr5dXP00" width="310" height="465" ><figcaption>Burns is also accused of drawing blood from a girl after striking her in the mouth and pressuring an employee to lie about the incident and say the child fell, according to the anonymous text messages. ( Image: Facebook)</figcaption></figure></ul>Daycare staff were also accused of smacking crying toddlers with their bare hands, using a wooden spoon to strike the children, whipping them with wet towels, and locking them alone in a dark bathroom, according to reporting by the San Francisco Standard.Burns is also accused of drawing blood from a girl after striking her in the mouth and pressuring an employee to lie about the incident and say the child fell, according to the anonymous text messages. The messenger was later revealed to be a parent of one of the children at the daycare center.The parent also alleged in her messages that if Burns disliked a child she would feed them cold food. After receiving the text messages many parents began to pull their children out of the daycare. Burns attempted to defend herself against the allegations by holding a virtual meeting with parents, during which she claimed the accusers were someone trying to ruin the daycare's reputation, such as a disgruntled former employee, according to the Standard.Burns had taken over the day care center in 2022 and shortly after complaints about alleged abuse began to surface. State regulators had received reports of staff members being physically rough with the children and after interviewing Burns, along with several employees and parents, the Community Care and Licensing Division said they could not substantiate the claims.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4IAXnL_0vjr5dXP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4IAXnL_0vjr5dXP00" width="1200" height="1167" ><figcaption>Daycare staff were also accused of smacking crying toddlers with their bare hands, using a wooden spoon to strike the children, whipping them with wet towels, and locking them alone in a dark bathroom, according to reporting by the San Francisco Standard. ( Image: Facebook)</figcaption></figure>After complaints continued to surface in the following years, regulators began looking closer at the daycare and once the anonymous text messages came to light the agency issued several citations in June of this year including failure to keep accurate sleep logs to confirm babies were being monitored at frequent intervals and for failing to test the drinking water for lead.They issued further citations later in July for "leaving the children in the toddler bathroom as punishment for misbehaving or crying." The citations described the behavior presented an "immediate risk to the health and safety and personal rights of child children in care.""Based on interviews, staff members were hitting, pushing, pulling, yelling, intimidation, calling the children inappropriate names while in care," the report also said.Some of the parents are also reportedly considering bringing civil lawsuits against Burns and the daycare center, according to the Standard. California law gives parents the right to access the facility which some parents said they were unaware of. The criminal investigations remain ongoing.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Oakland daycare closes after staff allegedly WHIPPED children and locked them in bathrooms

An Oakland daycare center has been permanently closed amid allegations that staff routinely dished out cruel punishment to children entrusted into their care. The owner of the daycare, Cynthia Jackson Burns, has now been barred from ever working with children in any capacity for the rest of her life. State Investigators said that Burns allegedly 'whipped' and inflicted 'corporal punishment' on young children at SmallTrans Bears daycare in Downtown Oakland. Authorities also say that she allegedly allowed staff working at the daycare to verbally and physically abuse the children.