Parents of Infant Allegedly Abused At Southampton Day Care File Notice of Claim

The parents of a 21-month-old girl who was allegedly abused while attending a Southampton day care by the two workers recently arrested by police for endangering the welfare of a child, have filed recently filed a notice of claim.

John and Caroline Stella, of Bridgehampton, filed the notice on Nov. 9 against Southampton Town, the Suffolk County Office of Child Protective Services and the State Office of Children and Family Services and State Board of Regents with attorney William K. Polignani of Water Mill.

The claim states that “ the agencies had knowledge of alleged negligence and mistreatment at the day care and failed to adequately investigate or inspect the facility,” according to a report in Newsday.

However, Southampton Town attorney Tiffany Scarlato, told Newsday that the claims against the town were “baseless” since the day care was independently operated.

On August 29, detectives arrested two Side by Side day care employees: Kathleen Culver, 33, of Southampton, and Sarah M. Dawber, 23, of Mastic Beach on child abuse charges.

Both women were teachers and worked in the infant room tending to children ranging from 4-18 months old, according to police.

On several occasions they force fed, pushed and slammed the children down on the floor, police said.

One child, now identified as the Stella’s then 18-month-old daughter, vomited from being force fed, but no other injuries have been reported, according to police.

The day care had it’s license revoked in September by the State Office of Children and Family Services and the day care shut down last month.

A former teacher’s assistant, Kennedy Williams, told police that she had seen Dawber force feed the child pieces of roll by forcing the child’s head back against the high chair’s headrest using her hand and forcing the food into the child’s mouth will yelling at the child, according to a report in 27east.

Lori Martin, another day care employee, told police that she saw Culver “pulling a child out of a high chair really hard and slamming him on the ground, hitting his head after she became frustrated because he would not eat,” according to the report.