Daycare worker Kyara Naomi Yazzie was arrested Friday after the Blanding Police Department reviewed security camera footage from Utah State Univeristy’s Blanding Daycare Center. The footage reportedly shows Yazzie being “physically aggressive” with a two-year-old child.
Officers reported that Yazzie “dragged the child back to the bean bag chair and knelt on the child’s knees.” It is further reported that Yazzie hit the child multiple times on the torso, arms, forehead, and legs.
When questioned, Yazzie initially said she “had only flipped the child on the lips a couple of times.”
In response, Utah State University’s associate vice president for strategic communications, Amanda DeRito, told UPR, “Utah State University takes the safety of children extremely seriously and will take immediate action to safeguard young children in our care.”
She added that in late October, after a daycare staff member raised a concern, Yazzie was immediately placed on leave and then promptly terminated on Oct. 31. USU immediately reported the incident to the Utah Department of Child and Family Services and notified the child’s parents.
DeRito said after these initial steps, USU Blanding worked with all daycare staff to train and review policies regarding the handling and discipline of children and reporting requirements, so staff know exactly what to do if they notice or learn of anything that jeopardizes the safety of children.
Derito said all USU employees who work with minors are required to undergo extensive background checks and those working in daycare facilities receive required annual training to support the safe and appropriate care of young children.
DeRito said that because USU follows "best practices — including the use of security cameras in classrooms — officials were able to learn of this incident quickly and respond in a way that protected the child involved and all children in the daycare facility.”
Yazzie’s case is still under investigation, and as such, all charges are simply allegations.
