I was initially excited when my son was accepted into Kid Academy.During enrollment, I was assured that he would be nurtured and cared for in a safe environment. Unfortunately, my experience has been very different.However, I then began receiving incident reports regarding serious safety concerns. The first was a biting incident that broke my son’s skin. The daycare worker explained that some children go through this stage, so I gave the center the benefit of the doubt.
Shortly afterward, another biting incident occurred. I requested to review the video footage and observed a much older and larger child biting my son’s arm, looking at the worker, and then biting him again, followed by hitting him repeatedly. I was deeply concerned both by the severity of the incident and the lack of intervention.I received multiple calls while at work regarding my son being injured. The owner told me that if my son were bitten again, he would terminate the worker responsible and instructed staff to keep the children separated. Despite this promise, another biting incident occurred, and the worker was not terminated. Instead, the owner stated that she was one of his best employees and he did not want to let her go. While I can understand valuing good employees, I believe this points to inadequate training and supervision rather than protecting the children in his care.The owner also stated I could not terminate the contract unless my son left on the same day of the incident, which was extremely inconvenient. Meanwhile, my son’s distress at drop-off was heartbreaking, and I knew I had to find an alternative. I applied for numerous work-from-home jobs and contacted multiple daycare centers in search of a better solution.I also filed a complaint through the Mississippi Department of Human Services website, believing it would be confidential. I am grateful the complaint was addressed, but I was not aware that the daycare would be notified of my identity. Shortly after DHS visited Kids Academy, they called me at work to inform me they were canceling my son’s contract. My father had to leave work to pick him up immediately, which I believe was a retaliatory act.This type of retaliation creates a chilling effect, discouraging parents from reporting legitimate safety concerns for fear of losing their childcare. To make matters worse, the last biting incident was not recorded because, according to the owner, the camera in that room was “broken” and he did not want to pay $600 to replace it. This raises the troubling question: is the safety of children in that room worth less than the cost of a camera?
“When my child was injured, the response wasn’t concern or accountability, it was a shrug and a price tag. The owner claimed the camera in that room hadn’t been repaired because it would cost $600. That’s not just negligence it’s a declaration that the safety of children in their care isn’t worth $600. What does that say about their values? About their priorities? About the trust parents place in them every day?”
are the kids safety his priority or his pockets...
Because of these repeated incidents and the center’s retaliation, I have been forced to quit my job, resulting in financial hardship. No parent should be placed in this position simply for advocating for their child’s safety.
Following a recent injury incident, it became clear that Kid Academy not only failed to maintain basic surveillance equipment, but also lacked adequate staffing to safely supervise the number of children in its care. These are not isolated oversights they are systemic failures.When staff are stretched thin, children are left vulnerable. Injuries become more likely, and response times suffer. The safety of every child depends on having enough trained, attentive adults present not just in theory, but in practice. We urge Kid Academy to immediately review and disclose its staff-to-child ratios, implement corrective measures, and commit to maintaining safe supervision standards. Anything less is a risk the community cannot afford.
