LANSING, Mich. — A director at a west Lansing daycare facility is facing multiple charges of child abuse after two separate incidents involving young children. Despite the ongoing legal issues, the director remains employed at the daycare, leaving some parents concerned about the safety of their children.
Rebecca Kenney, the director of Happy Elephant Daycare, was recently charged with child abuse after a mother accused her of slapping her one-year-old son in September 2024. The mother, who requested to remain anonymous, says she was devastated when she received a call from both the Eaton County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services regarding the incident.
According to the mother, Kenney slapped her child on the mouth, an action that prompted her to immediately press charges. She also pulled her son out of the daycare and confronted the daycare’s owner. “I asked her if it was appropriate, in her opinion, that she had someone with an alleged child abuse case pending, and she told me that it was none of my business,” the mother said. “She said if I wasn’t comfortable, I needed to pull my son out.”
The mother had previously voiced concerns about the daycare’s environment, including issues with her son’s belongings being left behind. Despite these concerns, she had continued using the daycare until the assault took place.
Court documents reveal that Kenney was already facing charges from a separate 2024 incident, where she was accused of pulling a child’s hair. In addition to the previous charge, Kenney now faces a second child abuse charge for a separate incident in 2025. Both charges are classified as 4th-degree child abuse, a misdemeanor offense.
The fact that Kenney remains in her position despite the charges has sparked outrage among some parents and members of the community. It raises questions about the oversight of daycare facilities and how quickly such allegations are addressed.
The mother who came forward with the allegations emphasizes the trust that parents place in daycare providers. “As a parent, you send your kids to daycare while you go to work so you make a living,” she said. “You expect them to be safe, not to be harmed.”
Local authorities are continuing to investigate the allegations. In the meantime, parents at Happy Elephant Daycare are left to grapple with the uncertainty of their children’s safety as the legal process unfolds.
