Video shows Osceola day care worker shoving child into cot

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A woman who worked at an Osceola County day care for just four days was arrested on charges of child abuse after surveillance cameras captured her shoving two children onto a metal cot.
 
Laura Acevedo was booked into the Osceola County Jail Tuesday, but has since bonded out.
 
Channel 9's Ryan Hughes learned that the incident happened Monday, and on Tuesday, both of the children were back at the day care center.
 
Their parents said they have faith in the day care center, Kidsville Academy, but they aren't happy with Acevedo.
 
According to sheriff's investigators, the two young children had trouble falling asleep while at the day care. In surveillance video, Acevedo shoved the children down, causing them to hit their heads on the metal frames of their small sleeping cots.
 
"I'm very, very, very upset. I wanted to do damage to that lady," one of the mothers, who didn't want to be identified, told Hughes.
 
 She said her 3-year-old son had a large bruise on his forehead after the incident.
 
Acevedo reportedly told day care administrators the boy jumped and fell, but another child told the owner of the facility that Acevedo did it. 
 
"His head hurts.  He's uncomfortable.  He doesn't want to leave my side," the mother said.
 
The owners of the day care called Osceola County Sheriff's deputies.
 
Investigators said when they watched the video, they saw Acevedo appear to shove another boy onto the cot.
 
Acevedo was fired immediately.
 
"I was in shock.  Every time I kind of saw her put her hands on one of the boys my heart sank.  Took my breath away. Brought tears to my eyes," parent Valerie Pagan, whose son was injured, told Hughes.
 
Pagan said she brought her son back to the day care where he was hurt because she doesn't blame the owners.
 
"Knowing my son and the way his heart and head works it was unbearable.  You want to jump through the TV screen, you know. I don't want to say what I would do, but yeah, it's hard to watch," said Pagan.
 
The mother of the other boy who was injured brought her son back to the day care center on Tuesday as well.

Initially Channel 9 reported that Acevedo was attending the University of Central Florida. On Wednesday a school representative said Acevedo was enrolled at UCF for one semester last fall but did not return to school for the spring semester. She was a music education major.

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