Farmington Daycare Worker Charged With Risk of Injury

Farmington police have charged a daycare worker with risk of injury.

Police said a 5-month-old baby girl suffered minor injuries that included bruises while under the care of Lisa Dalke, 52, of Plainville, at Scott Swamp Kindercare on July 5.

The baby’s parents took her to Bristol Hospital on July 5 and she was transferred later that day to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for treatment of her injuries.

The arrest warrant applications for Dalke says the baby had what was reported as a rash but doctors believe it was bruising of the armpit/chest area, under both eyes, on the right upper eyelid, on her upper lip and the mouth.

The state Department of Children and Families notified Farmington police on July 6.

Dalke was arrested Friday and charged with risk of injury to a child. The arrest warrant application says she told police was not a child abuser and could not believe they were accusing her of hurting the baby.

Police said she is no longer employed at Scott Swamp Kindercare.

The business released the following statement:

"At KinderCare, we work hard to provide every child with a safe, nurturing environment to learn and grow. We take all concerns about children’s safety, our teachers and staff seriously. We also follow a very specific protocol anytime a concern is raised. Part of that protocol includes reporting the concern to the family of the child involved right away. We also report the concern to licensing and other state agencies and place the teacher on administrative leave as we work with these agencies to look into the matter further.

As soon as we became aware of this concern, the teacher involved was placed on administrative leave and has not been in the center since the time this concern was raised. The teacher involved in this matter will remain on leave as we continue to cooperate fully with the police and child protective services throughout their ongoing investigations. Out of respect for the people involved, we do not disclose details about active investigations."

Dalke was arrested on Friday and held on $85,000 bond.