A New York mother says she was fired from her job at a Long Island day care after complaining about unsanitary conditions at its facilities.
Shaniece Ford is now suing Carousel of Learning, her former employer of six months, and New York State has launched an investigation of Carousel’s facilities in Baldwin and Freeport.
“Horrendous conditions for these kids, for the parents who had no idea these things were happening,” Ford said.
Ford has not provided evidence to support her allegations of moldy food and unsanitary conditions.
One mother who spoke to News 4 New York said she has been sending her son to the day care for a decade. She called it “a good place” and said, “I have no problems there.”
But despite the positive reviews, Carousel’s Freeport location could soon have its license revoked. Since February, the day care has been cited for 23 violations for issues ranging from cleanliness to having too many kids and not enough staff.
The state says most of the violations have been corrected. State inspections in Baldwin turned up no violations in April and May.
Local
“It seems to have a fairly decent reputation, so this hits somewhat as a shock,” said Luonne Rouse, a pastor of the Baldwin church housing one of Carousel’s facilities.
In a statement, a spokesman for Carousel called the charges baseless. The statement describes Ford as a disgruntled former employee and welcomes authorities to conduct a thorough review of its facilities.
Ford said her 3-year-old son went to the day care while she worked there. Despite her claims, she didn’t remove him from Carousel until she was fired.
