SAN ANTONIO — An eight hour recording reveals disturbing language allegedly used by teachers towards children at a daycare on the city's northwest side.
The recording is from last December, and was shared with KENS 5 after an investigation was launched into Mossrock KinderCare.
Last September, Aaron and Carley Hernandez noticed an unusual change in their then 18-month-old's behavior. Their daughter Isla began acting up.
"She was beating her [doll] Sally, she would slam her on the ground," said Carley Hernandez, the girl's mother.
The Hernandez's said the behavior began after they enrolled their daughter at Mossrock KinderCare. The couple toured the facility in August and said they fell in love with the daycare, but it wasn't long before they had a change of heart.
The Hernandez's blame the two female teachers in their daughter's classroom.
"Primary concerns were not being allowed into the classroom for drop off. The weird thing is that they were covering doors and windows," said Aaron Hernandez, the girl's father.
They also said the girl was always hungry when they would pick her up from daycare.
"My daughter would eat a full meal when I would pick her up," said Carley Hernandez.
"We understand toddlers, babies are going to be hungry but this was another level of tantrum," said Aaron Hernandez.
The Hernandez's said they took their concerns on several occasions to the daycare director but were dismissed. Three months passed and they hit their breaking point in December, Carley said she caught one of the two teachers denying Isla a cup of water.
"So I bought the recording device and the rest is history. I sewed it into her outfit the morning we got it and listened to it when we got home," said Carley Hernandez.
What the device recorded is shocking. At one point, you can hear a teacher tell Isla, 'You're a b----' and "You're an a------'.
At another point, you can hear the same teacher say, 'I'm about to throw some b---- swings at some of y'all right now'.
"You can hear the [second] teacher ask 'Who wants chicken and rice?' and you can hear my daughter say she does, and the teacher responds, 'Not you Isla. You're not getting s---'," said Carley Hernandez.
There is more on the audio recording, which lasts eight hours. The Hernandez's filed a report with San Antonio police and police confirmed the mother has placed an audio recorded into her daughter's jacket and dropped her off at daycare.
However, the police report does not name a suspect other than a location employee, which is why KENS 5 is not naming the two teachers involved. For now, SAPD's Special Victims Unit is investigating the case a terroristic threat and it's now being reviewed by the District Attorney's office.
The Hernandez's also called CPS to report the daycare for suspected abuse. We reached out and the agency referred us to Texas Health and Human Services, which investigates day care complaints under Child Care Regulation.
An HHS spokesperson said the investigation into Mossrock KinderCare is closed, and the operation was only cited one deficiency for 'Caregiver Responsibilities - Judgement'.
The results of the investigation are public online.
We reached out to Mossrock KinderCare. In a statement, a corporate spokesperson said:
"The behavior of these two teachers is unacceptable. It does not reflect our company values or the high standards we hold ourselves to will not be tolerated. The teachers involved are no longer KinderCare employees and will never work for KinderCare, or any of our brands, again.
We're committed to creating welcoming, safe and nurturing environments for all children. To help deliver on our commitment to our communities, we regularly train all center staff on best practices, including positive child guidance."
However, the Hernandez's fear the teachers could go work elsewhere.
"These women abused these babies. Add them to the registry and you will never hear from me again," said Carley Hernandez.
According to Child Care Regulation, licensing staff does not include the name of any person in documentation that will published on the public website. Only when a caregiver is found responsible for abuse or neglect would that information be shared with a child care operation via a background check during hiring. Per the online records, there was not an entry for abuse on the facility's compliance history.
The Hernandez's want their case reopened and revaluated. Until then, they said their daughter's behavior is starting to improve now that she is out of daycare. However, it's a choice the family say they should not been forced to make.
"I can't trust day cares anymore, everything has changed. I'm exhausted," said Carley Hernandez.