PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 28-year-old daycare worker has been charged with abusing a 2-year-old in her care. She told police “she lost her cool.”
According to the affidavit of probable cause, when questioned by police, Erin Burke called her behavior unacceptable, saying she was frustrated the 2-year-old didn’t want to go outside. Instead of walking away, she took her frustrations out on the child.
The criminal complaint said Burke immediately self-reported the incident to her administrator at the Newtown Discovery Preschool on Blacksmith Road in Newtown. The administrator sent her home, submitted the ChildLine referral, and contacted the child’s parents and the daycare director.
The daycare supplied the video to police, who said it showed Burke drop the child face down on a padded mat from about six inches, push his face into pillows, grab him by the wrist and swing him in the air, dropping him in a seated position, and aggressively pulling a polo shirt over his head forcefully enough to cause the child’s head to “whip” back and forth four times.
Burke is charged with felony endangering the welfare of a child and misdemeanor simple assault.
Her lawyer said Burke loves children, that the superficial scratches were purely accidental, and Burke immediately self-reported.
