CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A Chattanooga mother is looking for answers after she says a worker at her 3-year-old's daycare disciplined the girl with a spray bottle filled with water.

The Department of Human Services said they are looking into the incident.

"I was talking to her about what happened and what I could do to make her feel safe, because she seemed a little scared to go to daycare. So I asked her again, you know what happened? And she said that she sprayed her while she was crying, and I got very frustrated."

Her mother, Samantha Cuzzort, says her 3-year-old has enjoyed her time at Shiny Penny Daycare for the past two years.

But Cuzzort says, like the flip of a switch, that joy turned into fear.

She would start crying and kind of tucked down behind my leg, and I would have to actually crouch down and try to talk to Elowyn and help her go to class, but she got to where she couldn't acclimate herself, she just wouldn't go."

The Department of Human Services told WTVC they’re aware of a complaint made against Shiny Penny Daycare and have launched an investigation.

According to DHS, when it comes to discipline, Tennessee daycares aren’t allowed to do anything that could potentially shame, frighten, or verbally abuse a child.

The daycare's newsletter says that while workers try to get the kids out as often as possible, they “do have spray bottles that teachers use to cool children down” when they’re outside.

The newsletter goes on to say that each child is asked beforehand if they want to get sprayed, and that parents have the option to opt out.

She wasn't outside when this happened. When I picked her up from daycare that day, she was laying on the carpet where she was when I left her. When I saw that, I thought it was immediate defense and deflection to validate what they were doing," Cuzzort says.

We reached out to the Shiny Penny Daycare for their side of the situation. We’ve yet to hear back.