Owensboro Child Care Center will reopen on January 20 after an Owensboro Police Department investigation concluded with no criminal charges filed. The facility, located at 300 West Byers Avenue, voluntarily closed last month due to staffing shortages following allegations of child abuse.
The investigation stemmed in part from a December 12 incident when Owensboro police responded to a disturbance at the daycare, records show. According to the police report, a woman and her sister entered the facility, confronting staff over concerns that the woman’s children may have been physically harmed at the daycare on a previous date. Records show police confirmed the altercation was verbal, with no physical threats or assaults reported.
The case was referred to the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) and an OPD detective, according to the report.
OPD officials confirmed on January 13 that the investigation has since concluded with no charges filed.
Josh Tyler, co-owner of the facility, addressed the allegations on Monday, stating that the investigation focused on a single employee and not the daycare as a whole.
“We cooperated fully with authorities and followed all procedures. Once the investigation was completed, it was proven that we did nothing wrong,” Tyler said. “We’ve never tolerated and will never tolerate any harm to children. If anything like that ever occurred, we would be the first to take action against it.”
Tyler said the employee who was under investigation has chosen not to return to work due to the personal toll the situation has taken on her.
The daycare voluntarily closed in December because it could not meet state-mandated staff-to-child ratios after losing multiple employees. The state did not mandate the closure. A DCBS representative confirmed to OT on December 17 they had not shut the facility down.
Tyler said that because so many families stopped sending their children to the daycare, the facility now has more than enough staff to adhere to the state’s requirements.
By obtaining a copy of an email Tyler received from a representative with the Office of Inspector General’s Division of Regulated Child Care Owensboro Times has confirmed the state is allowing Owensboro Child Care Center to resume operations on January 20.
Owensboro Child Care Center, a family-owned business operating for over 50 years, serves up to 40 children ranging from eight weeks to five years old. Tyler emphasized the center’s longstanding commitment to child safety.
The daycare will resume normal operations from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. starting January 20. Families interested in enrolling their children can call the center at 270-685-2729 or visit the facility at 300 West Byers Avenue.
Tyler encouraged the community to trust in the center’s dedication to providing a safe and nurturing environment, saying: “We want parents to know that we’ve always prioritized the well-being of the children in our care and will continue to do so.”
