NEED TO KNOW
- Ashley Nicole Taris, 24, is charged with felony child abuse after a child’s leg was allegedly fractured at a Raleigh daycare center
- The injury allegedly occurred as the child was pulled into a “criss-cross applesauce” position on Aug. 22, 2025, according to a warrant reviewed by PEOPLE
- State regulators later disqualified Taris from providing child care, according to a complaint obtained by PEOPLE
A North Carolina daycare teacher is accused of breaking a young child’s leg while pulling him into a seated position at a Raleigh daycare center.
Ashley Nicole Taris, 24, a former KinderCare employee, is charged with felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, according to a warrant reviewed by PEOPLE.
The child told investigators the injury happened as he was pulled into a “criss-cross applesauce” position, resulting in a fracture to his lower leg during an Aug. 22, 2025 incident at a KinderCare location on Mitchell Mill Road in Raleigh, according to the warrant.
Medical findings showed a spiral fracture of the tibia consistent with what he described, according to WRAL and CBS 17.
She was later disqualified from providing child care by state regulators in November 2025, according to a complaint filed in Wake County court and obtained by PEOPLE.
KinderCare said in a statement that Taris is no longer employed by the company and has not worked at the center since October 2025, according to WRAL, ABC11 and The News & Observer.
“At KinderCare, the safety and well-being of the children in our care is always our top priority,” a spokesperson said, adding that the child’s family and appropriate agencies were notified following the incident.
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The company said she was briefly allowed to continue teaching under a safety plan before state licensing officials later directed that she be removed from the classroom while the investigation continued.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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