HUDSON, Mass. (AP) -- The director of a day-care center duct-taped an 8-month-old girl to a wall, thinking the sight of the struggling baby was funny, state officials said in a report.
The director of A Place to Grow in suburban Boston later admitted to the incident, the Office for Child Care Services said in a 12-page report issued this week. The center's license was suspended last week.The report also said state investigators found that babies were force-fed and swaddled so tightly that they had red marks. Some infants allegedly got a blast of water in the face if they cried.
"Although the motive for such conduct is not clear," the state said, "at least one staffer stated that the director and the staff would get 'a kick out of doing that.' "
The center's owner, Suzanne Foley, said she has fired the director and is filing an appeal to win back her license.
"I take my responsibility for what happens to the quality of care in our centers very seriously," Foley said in a statement Thursday. "Anything below the highest standard of care for our children will not be tolerated." According to the report, the director had talked with a parent about how duct tape "works on everything." The next afternoon, a staffer saw the director placing duct tape on the infant's arms and waist and sticking her to the wall.