By Kolby LaMarche

*BDN incorrectly stated the alleged abuse occurred at the Essex facility of the Frog & Toad Child Care Center. In fact, the alleged abuses occurred at the center’s Gosse Court, Burlington facility. The Essex facility, at present, remains open and is not under state review. BDN regrets the error

A Burlington-area child care center that served several local families was cited for more than a dozen serious violations of state licensing rules, including repeated acts of inappropriate physical discipline by a staff member, failure to report suspected child abuse, and interference with a state investigation, according to a final licensing report released by the Vermont Department for Children and Families.

The Frog & Toad Child Care & Learning Center at Burlington’s Robert Miller Center allowed its license to expire before the Child Development Division could complete enforcement action, the April 6 report states. Investigators had planned to pursue suspension with intent to revoke the center’s certificate. Instead, corrective action was not sought.

The division visited the center six times between Feb. 27 and March 23, 2026, after receiving concerns about staff conduct. Initial findings were discussed with program director Tiffany Corbett on the first day. 

A copy of the report was emailed to families who had children enrolled as of Feb. 1, as required for serious violations under 33 V.S.A. § 151 (7). Those violations include breaches of group size and staffing rules as well as any situation that “immediately imperils the health, safety, or well-being” of children in care.

The report identifies a single staff member, referred to as Staff X, as central to the most serious infractions. 

Staff X’s last day at the center was Feb. 27, the day the investigation began. Video footage from the toddler classroom — where children ranged in age from 18 to 36 months — captured multiple incidents, according to the licensing field specialist, Erin Canniff.

Among the most disturbing findings was an outdoor incident on Feb. 4 captured on police-operated camera footage. Staff X picked up Child G by one arm and tossed the child face-first onto a hard-packed snowbank created by a snowplow. 

The temperature was in the twenties. Child G lay motionless for several minutes before two other toddlers dragged the child off the snowbank. Staff X then dragged Child G onto the pavement, replaced a fallen boot, and kicked the child’s legs. The child remained largely unresponsive. 

Staff X later lifted Child G overhead, spun the child, and set them down. Staff Z and a former employee, Staff W, stood nearby and did not intervene or check for injury, the report states.

An injury report sent to Child G’s parents that day claimed the child had a red bump on the chin from falling in the gymnasium. Staff Z later told investigators the child’s face was red upon returning indoors and that the toddler appeared lethargic for the rest of the day. 

Neither Staff Z nor Staff W reported the incident to the Child Abuse Hotline, despite being mandated reporters under state law. An unrelated individual contacted the division eight days later after Staff W described the event.

The report cites Staff X for at least seven documented incidents involving Child B alone. These included grabbing the child by the forearm and throwing them to the floor, dragging the child sideways, pushing the child down at a sand table, rolling an office chair into the child, and pushing the child down onto their bottom after repeated commands to move. 

In one instance captured on video, Staff X restrained Child B for approximately six minutes, placing the toddler on their back between Staff X’s legs and using the sides of their feet to hold the child’s head in place. Child B was not released until another staff member entered the room.

Other footage showed Staff X hitting Child A on the head three times with a handful of diapers while the child cried, throwing away Child F’s full plate of food and milk for not sitting quietly at snack time, and spraying a cleaning product in the direction of Child D’s face from about one foot away. 

Staff X was also observed yelling at children, ignoring cries, and using punitive measures such as taking toys away or requiring children who struggled with outdoor gear to remain indoors.

Investigators determined that Staff X’s behavior changed noticeably when parents or licensing staff were present. 

During pick-up and drop-off times, the staff member appeared nurturing. At other times, video and witness statements described the conduct as intimidating or non-responsive. Community members living nearby reported hearing staff yelling at children from outside the building.

The report also faults center leadership. Director Erin Pasquale told investigators she would not answer questions about Staff X, whom she directly supervised, citing a violation of rules against interfering with or impeding a licensing investigation. 

Program licensee Tiffany Corbett acknowledged hearing second-hand reports of the snowbank incident from a recently terminated employee but said she did not believe the account, did not review available video footage, and did not question Staff Z, who had been outside at the time.

Corbett was aware that live video feeds from classrooms and hallways could be monitored from the office. Yet the report notes “the significant number of incidents observed through this video footage would indicate that these interactions, even if not all observed, gives pause to how they all would occur without being noticed.”

Additional violations include failure to report a serious injury: On March 6, a toddler broke a foot while in care. The center did not verbally notify licensing within 48 hours and did not submit a written report until March 12. 

Staffing schedules for February were inaccurate, and ratio requirements were breached on at least three occasions in the toddler room, leaving Staff X alone with more than the allowed five children for periods of five to ten minutes. 

One such instance coincided with the restraint of Child B.

Incident reports were incomplete or missing. A Feb. 4 fall that caused Child F’s bloody nose produced no report, despite visible injury and first aid. Mandated reporter training requirements were not followed when staff witnessed suspected abuse.

The center also violated rules requiring positive guidance and developmentally appropriate responses. Staff voices were found to dominate the classroom environment through frequent yelling. 

Crying children were sometimes ignored or told to “go play.” Expectations of toddlers were deemed unrealistic, with punitive actions taken when children did not respond immediately.

Upon conclusion of the investigation, the Child Development Division would have initiated suspension proceedings with intent to revoke the license. However, the program’s license had already expired. 

The report notes that corrective action plans due by April 6 were not pursued for the same reason.

The center has the right to appeal the department’s determination of violations within 30 days by filing in writing with the Division. Filing an appeal does not remove the violations from the public record unless the appeal is successful.

The licensing report does not name the specific children involved beyond letter designations or identify Staff X by name, consistent with privacy protections. It does not indicate whether any criminal charges have been filed.

Frog & Toad Child Care & Learning Center has not issued a public statement in response to the report. The Department for Children and Families confirmed the document is now part of the public record.

As of today, it remains unclear whether the center intends to reapply for licensure or has ceased operations. 

The Division’s investigation, which included interviews with staff and review of extensive video evidence, concluded that multiple layers of oversight failed at the program.

State officials have not released additional details beyond the 20-page licensing report. 

The document serves as the final public accounting of the probe that began more than six weeks earlier. 

Families in the Burlington-Essex area who relied on the center are left to seek alternative care arrangements while the state’s findings stand as the official record of what occurred inside the toddler classroom during the winter of 2026.