VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Parents trust daycares to keep their children safe, but several families say that trust was broken at one South Georgia childcare center.

Amber Hager, Parent, said, “I look down and I see her and it was just an immediate stomach drop kind of moment because my brand new little baby is face down in a crib. I immediately go in, swoop in and pick her up and just…”

Hager remembers April 2025 as the month she and her husband picked up their two-month-old daughter from Love Thy Kids Academy, only to face their second scare in less than two weeks.

“I just keep thinking about what if I was there 30 minutes later, no one was around her,” she said.

Hager contacted the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) and hired an attorney, seeking camera footage that could show what happened when she says her daughter was lying on her stomach and a diaper rash led them to the pediatrician. She says DECAL told her that due to the lack of evidence, there was nothing to investigate.

“My whole thing was if something like this can happen, what can happen next. I’ve seen it a million times where something small happens at a daycare and it gets brushed under the rug, and then the next thing you know, a child death has occurred, and I’m so grateful nothing like that has happened at this point, but these are serious injuries that have been reported,” Hager said.

In Sept. 2025, DECAL confirmed it was asked to investigate three separate incidents at Love Thy Kids Academy:

• In Feb. 2025, an incident was reported involving a 2-year-old child who sustained an injury to their right leg, with staff reportedly unaware of the incident at the time.
• In July 2025, there was a report concerning a 3-year-old child who experienced a head injury after falling from a chair and staff was unaware.
• In Aug. 2025, an incident was reported in which a 5-year-old child was allegedly left unsupervised on a school vehicle for approximately five to ten minutes.

Former staff member Tiffany Monk says parents and staff raised concerns, but camera footage was often unavailable and issues weren’t addressed.

Monk said, “They were really just shrugged off. I never really saw anybody get written up or talk to about it. If something was brought to the attention, it was ‘I’m going to handle it,’ but it was never handled to my knowledge.”

She believes her firing came after she cooperated with state investigators, despite receiving no prior write-ups during her eight months of employment.

“On the separation notice, she (Love Thy Kids owner) emailed me. She had put insubordination, which was a shock to me. I had never gotten in trouble for anything in my eight months of working there…never been written up or anything," Monk said.

Another parent, who asked to remain anonymous, says the incidents have shaken their trust in childcare providers.

“It’s your job to protect them. Even though you pay somebody else, who is a trusted child care facility or caretaker. You are putting the lives of your children in their hand and they can tell you anything, they know how the system works,” the parent said. “They know the questions to answer, and how to tell parents ‘I’ve got you…everything is fine…we care about your kids like I care about mine,’ I would say go with your gut.”

DECAL said in a statement to WALB, “At this time, these investigations remain open, and no final determinations or outcomes have been reached. We are working diligently to thoroughly review each incident, in accordance with our established protocols and in collaboration with the child care facility.”

WALB did receive a statement from Love Thy Kids Academy, owner Sharmel Williams, which says, “Our kids’ safety and well-being is our top priority. Every incident was reported to DECAL voluntarily. We will continue to work with our staff and strive for excellence.”

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