A teacher at a Montessori daycare in Chicago's northwest suburbs was fired this week after the school said she struck a child in the face during class.
In the wake of the announcement, the Guidepost Montessori School in Kildeer is facing criticism from parents who said it’s not the first concerning incident in the past few weeks.
The daycare is responsible for children from the ages of 6 weeks old to 6 years old. In a statement to NBC Chicago, Guidepost Montessori said it immediately fired the teacher -- known as a “guide” in the Montessori method -- and alerted state authorities.
“A teacher who has been with us for a few months lost her cool in a moment when she was setting limits and slapped one of the children,” the statement from Guidepost said, which is a Montessori chain with schools in many states.
“We immediately: (1) fired her, (2) called the child’s parents, and (3) informed the Department of Children and Family Services. The individual was highly remorseful and immediately knew she was wrong, but also knew that it was something she could not come back from," the statement said.
Officials with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services said an investigation was opened and is currently pending. The agency is also investigating a separate incident that occurred last month at the same school.
“I’m not surprised it happened again at this institution, but I do find it very troubling,” parent Oliver Ostertag said, who said his 3-year-old son came home with unexplained bruises.
The family spoke with NBC Chicago last month and said their son has bruises to his ear and face. Guidepost said the child was injured on a slide in the playground, but the family believes the boy was hit by an adult.
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“I think it is extremely unlikely that two incidents of violence happening in three weeks is a coincidence,” Ostertag said. “I think many parents have voiced a very concerning trend line. I think a lot of these staff are not qualified to be teachers.”
Ostertag immediately pulled his son from the school following the incident.
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NBC Chicago spoke with other current and former parents at two Guidepost Montessori schools who expressed similar concerns about low staffing, high turnover and poorly trained guides. The parents wished to remain anonymous, but some said they were working to find a new daycare in the area.
Guidepost said in its statement that they’ve recently completed a review of the toddler program. Montessori daycares are known for a specialized training in the Montessori method.
“We encourage anyone who is interested in our school to come and visit, observe in our classrooms, and meet our team. It is an exceptional Montessori school offering top-quality early childhood education. It has had a difficult couple of months, but with new school leadership in place, and the thorough review we have completed, we know that it is again a place that we can be proud of.”
Kildeer police said they are investigating both incidents, including this week’s accusation that a teacher hit a student. No charges have been filed.
