Daycare worker faces charges after allegedly slapping toddler

A daycare worker faces charges after police say she admitted to slapping a two-year-old child who had spit in her face at an Indiana childcare center.

Joyce Perkins, 31, has been charged with battery on a person under 14 years old following a November 2024 incident at Kiddie Academy in Greenwood, according to Johnson County, Indiana court documents.

Surveillance footage reviewed by police shows Perkins striking the toddler, investigators said in the court documents. When questioned by authorities, Perkins stated, "I had to smack him because he spit all in my face".

Police say Perkins told investigators she did not intend to harm the child, noting that he "didn't cry or nothing," the documents state. Police say she told them the daycare was understaffed, which led to the merging of classes. She said the boy spit in her face, according to police.

Kiddie Academy Director Aaron Pankratz told WRTV that Perkins was terminated from her position after the center became aware of the alleged incident.

"The state licensing authority conducted a thorough investigation and confirmed that we responded appropriately and took every possible measure within our control to address the situation," the daycare center said in a statement obtained by WRTV.

The Johnson County Prosecutor's office did not respond to requests for comment.

The case remains under investigation by the Greenwood Police Department and the Indiana Department of Child Services. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Greenwood Police Department at (317) 882-9191.

For suspected child abuse, contact the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. The confidential hotline operates 24 hours daily.

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