Daycare workers fired after children taped down for naps

Two workers at an Ottawa daycare were fired after masking tape was reportedly used to confine children to their cots during nap time.

An investigation into the daycare at Bayview Public School determined that when the children would not settle down, one of the workers taped them down, according to Deborah Cooper, president of the board of Ottawa School Day Nursery Inc.

That non-profit group runs the daycare and 12 others throughout the nation's capital, all in public schools.

Cooper said there were three or four children of an unknown age involved, who were not injured by the taping.

The investigation was launched at the end of February after a parent complained that a child was taped to a cot, Cooper said.

An investigation then determined another staff member knew about the taping incident, but did not report it.

The workers were suspended and fired at an unconfirmed date. Cooper said she didn't know if children were taped on more than one occasion.

Cooper said she had contacted the Children’s Aid Society and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, which is responsible for Ontario's Day Nurseries Act.

Parents of the other affected children were also immediately informed, Cooper added, and a posting about the incident was put on a parent bulletin board.

This daycare looks after children from the ages of four to 10 years old, both before and after school and on holidays.

Ottawa police said they have not launched a criminal investigation.

The workers could lose their certificates, according to the College of Early Childhood Educators, which would mean they could no longer work in licensed daycares.