Toddler loses two teeth in unlicensed daycare

MINT HILL, NC (WBTV/Gray News) – A young mother is sharing her daycare horror story in hopes of helping other parents.

Dashay Johnson says she only learned that the place she sent her child to was unlicensed after he was injured and lost two teeth.

“I hate that my child had to be used as an example for this unlicensed daycare,” Johnson said. “You never know what’s really going on until something actually happens.”

Johnson works in the restaurant industry and, like many other parents, had difficulty enrolling her son in daycare.

“There are all these different daycare centers around here, but you have to get on a waiting list and then they say, ‘We won’t have a spot for another year,'” she said.

At some point someone recommended Diane’s Home Away from Home in Mint Hill.

WBTV found business records for the company and its owner, Diane Barr, through the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds website. The property is located in a nice neighborhood and the home is valued at over $500,000, according to the Mecklenburg County Property Appraiser.

Johnson said everything was going well at the daycare until August 21.

“I told the daycare I was on my way to pick him up. It was a normal day,” she said. “But this time he didn’t run towards me.”

In an incident report by Mint Hill police, most details were redacted, but it was stated that Johnson’s child, Jesiah, had his teeth “knocked out.” Police also found his bloody clothes at the daycare.

“He was drooling and had blood in his mouth,” Johnson said. “I opened his mouth and noticed he was missing his teeth. One was deep in his mouth, but you couldn’t really see it, and the other one was completely gone.”

The first-time mother said she asked the daycare owner when her son’s teeth were knocked out and was told it happened about four hours before she arrived to pick him up.

“So my baby bled for four hours,” Johnson said. “Didn’t you think to call me?”

The North Carolina Department of Child Development requires licensed child care centers to complete a form whenever a child is injured and recommends that staff contact parents whenever a child is injured.

WBTV reports that his team was unable to find a license for Diane’s Home Away from Home daycare.

Johnson’s attorney, Larry Serbin of the law firm of Jason E. Taylor, said a licensed daycare center has an obligation to notify a parent of the injury.

“One would hope that there would be much more security precautions there,” Serbin said.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the daycare in question was unlicensed, but said it could not comment on whether an investigation was underway. The state said it offers a license search tool on its website.

“Becoming a first-time mom, I didn’t know what to look for,” Johnson said.

Johnson also said parents should check things like whether the daycare has a handbook they can give to parents, whether parents are encouraged to visit, or whether classes are usually scheduled.

When asked about the allegations and the incidents, Barr explained that she was only looking after baby Jesiah for Johnson.

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