East Whiteland Police: 2 Chesterbrook Academy Day Care Teachers Caught On Camera Abusing Multiple Toddlers
MALVERN, Pa. (CBS) -- Two day care teachers are facing child abuse charges in Chester County. Authorities say the alleged abuse at Chesterbrook Academy was caught on camera.
East Whiteland police have contacted several families after, they say, a classroom video monitor revealed toddlers were being abused.
"Mainly rough treatment, some open-handed slaps, rough placements on the cots, pushing, things like that," East Whiteland Police Detective Sgt. Patricia Doyle said.
Doyle explains the child abuse, she believes, happened to eight toddlers in the same classroom inside Chesterbrook Academy on the 200 block of Atwater Driver.
Police launched an investigation on Aug. 29, one day after a former day care employee called the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' Childline and Abuse Registry for the abuse of two children.
Police obtained video from classroom video monitors and discovered that on July 25 and Aug. 27, two teachers, Jessica Kochanski, of Havertown, and Alison Soria, of Jenkintown, were allegedly caught on camera in the same toddler room abusing multiple children between the ages of 16 to 22 months.
Both women were charged with simple assault and endangering the welfare of children.
During the investigation, video revealed a third teacher abusing the children.
"It was hard to watch. I investigate child abuse cases very often," Doyle said. "If it weren't for the video, people wouldn't have known because they can't advocate for themselves."
In a statement, Chesterbrook Academy said, "We were appalled to hear of the alleged rough treatment of children by our former employees. We take employee misconduct very seriously, and we have zero tolerance for anyone who does not have children's best interests at heart."
Police say neither teacher had any priors.