A New Jersey mother is demanding accountability after her 2-year-old daughter came home from daycare with a braid forcibly ripped from her scalp — and no clear explanation from staff.
Tamara Hemingway says her toddler, Myla, suffered the traumatic injury while in the care of Growing Kids Academy in Ocean Township. Hemingway claims the daycare failed to notify her in real time and has since offered conflicting accounts of what happened, prompting her to retain legal counsel and begin preparations for a lawsuit.
“You gotta use force to take out a cornrow — it was braided to her scalp,” Hemingway told ABC7. “There’s no way her or another kid would have done that on their own.”
The incident came to light after a daycare employee texted Hemingway a photo asking if a braid was missing. But when Hemingway saw the image, she said she was “shocked” to find a bald spot on her daughter’s scalp where the braid had been torn out. What upset her more was the silence from staff.
“No one called me. Not even just to say, ‘Hey, something happened, we’re looking into it,’” she said.
Attorney Marc Caswell, who is representing the family, said the daycare has offered “different stories,” ranging from uncertainty about what occurred to a suggestion that Myla may have removed the braid herself.
“They deflected instead of taking accountability,” Caswell told reporters.
Since the incident, Hemingway has withdrawn her daughter from the daycare, saying Myla now flinches when someone touches her hair.
“She can’t even tell me what happened,” Hemingway added. “That’s the worst part. And they didn’t even check to see if she was okay.”
Caswell and Hemingway have not yet disclosed details of the legal claims, but confirmed a lawsuit is forthcoming. A representative at the daycare declined to comment on the situation, stating only that the allegations were “unsubstantiated.”
