CONCORD, N.C. — A North Carolina mother is demanding answers after her 3-year-old son returned from daycare with a large knot on his head and swelling that later spread across his face.
Cashay Crowe says the injury initially appeared to be a bump, but her concerns grew as her son’s condition changed over the following days.
Photos of the child’s injuries that Crowe shared on Facebook drew more than 40,000 reactions as of Tuesday, bringing widespread attention to the incident.
Crowe says she did not immediately realize how serious the injury might be. She eventually sought medical advice after seeing swelling develop around her son’s eyes.
Her experience has now led to questions about how the injury occurred, when the daycare notified her and what happened inside the classroom.
Mother Says Daycare Called Hours After Injury
According to Crowe, the incident occurred at McGill Learning Center in Concord.
She says the daycare did not contact her immediately after her son was injured. Instead, she received a phone call nearly five hours after the knot had appeared on his head.
The delay became one of several issues that Crowe says left her looking for answers. After noticing the swelling around her son’s eyes, Crowe contacted his pediatrician.
“We called the pediatrician, the pediatrician said to get to the hospital,” Crowe said.
She then took her son to two different hospitals for evaluation. Crowe said doctors were concerned about the apparent force involved in the injury.
“The doctors are like, ‘What did he get hit with? This is a lot of impact,’” she said.
The comments increased her concerns about exactly what happened at the daycare.
Daycare Says Another Child Pushed Toddler
Staff members at McGill Learning Center reportedly told Crowe that another 3-year-old was responsible for her son’s injury. According to Crowe, the explanation she received was that her son had been pushed rather than struck.
“They said he didn’t even get hit, he got pushed,” Crowe said.
However, that explanation did not resolve Crowe’s concerns. She says she was shown surveillance footage of the incident, but the portion she most wanted to see was not available.
According to Crowe, the video showed her son walking across an apparently empty room before the footage skipped ahead to him already being on the floor.
That missing section has become a major part of the mother’s questions.
Mom Questions Missing Surveillance Footage
Crowe says she wants to understand what happened during the period that was not shown on the footage.
“Why didn’t I get a call when it first happened, why was the incident report half way filled out and why did the video skip,” Crowe said.
The questions involve both the timeline of the incident and the daycare’s handling of the injury. Crowe says she still cannot understand how her son ended up with injuries that appeared so significant based on the explanation she was given.
She has continued seeking information because she believes her son deserves a clear account of what happened while he was under the daycare’s care.
McGill Learning Center Responds to Questions
The daycare responded with a statement emphasizing that the safety of children is its utmost priority. The center said it is investigating how the accident occurred and looking into what it can learn from the incident. The response comes as Crowe continues to seek a clearer explanation of the circumstances surrounding her son’s injury.
For the mother, the issue is not simply about what happened during an interaction between two young children. She also wants to know why she was not informed sooner and why she believes part of the surveillance footage is missing.
Police Investigate Daycare Incident
An incident has been filed with police, and the department is currently investigating. Authorities are reviewing available video footage and speaking with witnesses as they work to establish what happened.
At this point, authorities have not announced findings that determine how the boy sustained his injuries beyond the information provided by the daycare.
The investigation could help answer some of the questions that remain unresolved for Crowe, including the circumstances surrounding the injury and the timeline of the daycare’s response.
For now, Crowe says she will continue looking for answers until she understands exactly what happened to her son.
Her main concern remains the well-being of her 3-year-old child, who she believes deserves a clear explanation of how he was injured while at daycare.
What do you think about the mother’s concerns over the delayed call and missing surveillance footage? Share your thoughts in the comments.
