HENRICO, Va. – A child abuse charge will move forward against a 42-year-old mother found operating an unlicensed Henrico County daycare, though other charges have been nolle prossed. Nolle prossed charges mean that the charges have been dismissed but could be brought back at any time.
Tanya Dawson, 42, was arrested in November 2016 and previously faced nine charges, including child abuse and neglect, assault and operating without a license.
The charges were filed after a mother reported to the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) that her 11-month-old was injured at the Little People Academy that was located at 6020 Brook Road.
A photo shows bruises on a child.
In a follow-up visit, VDSS found that there were 22 children in the care of the unlicensed providers.
“My daughter came home from daycare and she had a humongous bruise and scratches on her left thigh,” said a Henrico mother who did not want to be identified. “I tried to contact the care workers at the daycare and didn’t get any answers.”
The mother said her trust was broken and hopes parents will learn from her story.
Three woman charged in connection to the Little People Academy.
“Check your resources because I thought she was in the best care ever. When I go back and think about it, I wonder what did my daughter feel in that moment. I know she won’t remember it, but that’s tough,” said the mother.
There were two investigations ongoing, one by Henrico County Police and the other by the VDSS.
Samantha Tolson, 27, and Latoya Scott, 37, also faced licensing and interfering with commission representative charges.
They will have a preliminary hearing February 9.
