Newton Day Care Ickids Closed, Teacher Fired After Pre-Schoolers Make Blackface Mask
NEWTON (CBS) -- ICKids in Newton is closing its doors after backlash over a 'blackface' incident. In a Facebook post, the day care said it stems from a misunderstanding on February 8.
"To celebrate 'black history month,' a teacher in Toddler's classroom at ICKids planned and carried out an activity that involved black mask/black face. One of the parents pointed out that the black mask/blackface is offensive," they wrote.
The day care said the teacher apologized and was reprimanded after the incident was brought to light.
Days later the incident had surfaced on social media. The day care said they tried to apologize but acknowledged it was "not the best statement."
"We were trying to send a message to say that research for toddler curriculum was not executed or completed in the manner that it should have been, so we apologize to every and anyone this might have offended."
The teacher at the center of the incident has been fired. The center has closed due to protests.
Bridget Ray-Canada, a longtime Newton resident and founding member of the Newton Coalition of Black residents, said there are plenty of resources available to educators which focus on the contributions of proud Black Americans.
"She hurt the students. She degraded them. She hurt the Black community," Ray-Canada said. "For people to claim ignorance, I think it's unacceptable in 2022."
Parents of children who attended the day care have been given a list of nearby centers.
"We have had a multicultural diverse staff and families ranging from African American, Spanish, to Asian to this indeed was not our intent," the daycare wrote.
"In the event that we reopen our doors all staff will be trained in Diversity and creating curriculum for the birth to 5-year-old age group. We would also aim high for a more diverse staff with strong child care background knowledge and experience."
