04/09/2026
We are pleased to announce the resolution of litigation on behalf of the parents of a two-year old child against Oakdale Christian Child Development Center in Rock Hill, SC. This resolution provides meaningful closure for our clients and allows them to move forward and share their voice and experience to hopefully help others.
This case uncovered significant transparency issues and gaps in Oakdale Christian Child Development Center’s supervision and procedures. Below is an overview of the events that led to the litigation.
This case stemmed from the minor child falling off a picnic table and breaking his arm while under daycare supervision. With no clear explanation from the daycare, the parents requested to view the video footage. In that meeting requested by the parents, the father recorded the entirety of the footage on his phone for his own records. Later on during litigation, the daycare was asked to provide the video footage through the standard discovery process. After at first claiming the footage had been lost in a lightning strike, Oakdale Christian Child Development Center eventually provided a copy of two videos; After comparing the footage to the copy taken by the parents, it became evident that approximately 20 seconds following the fall had been removed. That missing portion would have shown the supervising teacher's delayed response in aiding the injured child and pocketing her cell phone as she approached. The full video is included below in the comments.
Additional concerns surfaced involving the teacher during the minor child’s time at Oakdale Christian Child Development Center. This same teacher repeatedly kept the minor child in “time out” for the entirety of nap time while she remained on her phone. Although the director assured the parents this would stop, it in fact did not. Two days later, the minor child was again kept awake at the table during naptime for approximately 45 minutes. During this duration, the child eventually nodded off at the table and busted his lip.
The South Carolina Department of Social Services confirmed that neither of the incidents should have occurred and also noted that two‑year‑olds should not have even been on the playground shown in the video. Despite these violations and the evidence presented, the school’s then‑director maintained that no wrongdoing occurred. To date, neither the teacher nor any leadership or staff at Oakdale Christian Child Development Center have apologized to the parents for their wrongdoing. It was believed at mediation and during the closing of this case that both the teacher and director would no longer be working at the facility. However, the teacher involved in these multiple instances continues to be employed by Oakdale Christian Child Development Center.
Our clients’ primary goal was and is to protect the current and future children of this daycare when their own could not be protected. Although we were not able to see active steps towards the facility’s improvement during or through the end of this litigation, we hope the closing of this case and sharing our client’s story drives meaningful change at Oakdale Christian Child Development Center. We hope they can provide greater transparency, stronger accountability, and enforcement of their policies that ensure staff remain attentive and free from distractions such as cell phone use. If you have a child at this facility, note that Oakdale Christian Child Development Center had a no cell phone policy in place at the time the events occurred. It is up to diligent parents to report violations of their policy, and the new director of the facility to enforce violations by their staff or else it is likely that this may happen again.
