WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Two former childcare employees who worked at a daycare on Robins Air Force Base will serve six months in federal prison.
The courts charged Zhanay Flynn and Antanesha Fritz with second degree child abuse charges.
Back in 2022, a federal indictment accused the women of abusing at least 14 children at Robins' Child Development Center. They worked in the 2 and 3-year-old room.
Jennifer Clinton says her daughter fell victim to abuse at the facility in 2019.
The base works daily to provide security to our entire nation, so Clinton said she felt her child was in good hands at the center.
"They're dealing with active duty members and even retirees that go in there," she said. "Their child goes in their as well so you'd think they'd hold themselves to a higher standard."
Clinton says she saw a video on monitors near the facility that seemed to show her 2-year-old and her classmates being encouraged to fight.
"One little girl hit her in the back of the head and the other hit her in the back," she said.
Clinton says she reported that to the facility director and security, but nothing came of her complaint.
Court records say 14 families accused Flynn and Fritz of abusing their children. Now the women will spend six months in federal prison.
"I wish they would have gotten more time, but that's the justice system," she said.
Documents say both women let the kids sit in soiled underwear all day and encouraged the children to fight. They are accused of disciplining children by spraying them in the face with cleaning solution and making them sit in small spaces.
The records say Flynn admitted she knew cameras recorded everything, but she believed that no one cared. She told investigators that the center's director didn't take previous reports seriously.
"Parents care," Clinton said. "The little kids - the kids themselves care. They look up to these people."
Reg Griffin works for the Georgia Department of Early Child and Learning Center, the state agency that oversees most daycares, but not the federal facility at Robins.
"The good news is that out of about 4,500 childcare services in Georgia, 98% of them are in good standing," he said.
Griffin says your kid will see the most brain development in early childhood, so you want to choose the best place.
"Choosing a childcare is just as important as choosing a college or technical school or university," he said.
Griffin recommends picking a licensed facility. He says those fall subject to unscheduled, random checks from DECAL. He says they test for a variety of things like classroom, playground and food safety. They also check the staff as well.
"This is the ultimate buyer beware," he said. "Make sure that you've done your homework. That you've looked into the childcare program. Ask all of your questions, gotten some recommendations of families who have been involved in these programs. Ask the hard questions. Each child is different."
As for the families affected at Robins, Clinton says she hopes they all get justice.
"I hope that these young ladies understand the amount of hurt that they've caused because that is our biggest fear, with our children is that they're safe," she said.
Griffin says signs of abuse include behavioral changes, not sleeping well or talking about a teacher being mean.
These court documents say seven families reported that their children, became more aggressive and had nightmares. Clinton says she also saw her child's behavior changes.
If your child goes to a licensed daycare that isn't on the military base, you can ask questions or report concerns by calling the state department of early care and learning at (404)657-5562 or sending complaints to ccscomplaints@ecal.ga.gov.
You can also check the ratings for licensed day cares at qualityrated.org.