KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
The University of Kansas and Hilltop Child Development Center, an affiliate of the university, sent a letter to parents on Wednesday regarding confirmed allegations of child abuse in one of the center's classrooms.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has substantiated multiple allegations at Hilltop's two locations, one of which is located on KU's main campus and the other on KU's West Campus - both in Lawrence - between February 2025 and June 2025, according to KDHE's child care facility inspection results website.
The letter references previous communications with parents about KDHE investigating reports of child abuse in one of Hilltop West's classrooms this past winter.
The teacher in the classroom whre the alleged abuse occurred is no longer employed with Hilltop, according to the letter.
Hilltop Board of Directors president Casey Fraites-Chapes and KU Student Affairs associate vice provost Jennifer Wamelink authored the letter.
LINK | Read the letter
"These events are deeply concerning and painful for our community," the pair said in the letter.
On Tuesday, Whitney Smith resigned from her role as the program director for Hilltop West, located at 2509 Town Center Drive in Lawrence, per the letter.
One of KDHE's most recent findings was on June 18. A teacher conducted "prohibited punishment" by humiliating children "by spraying them with a squirt bottle to have them stop talking," according to KDHE's investigation survey. This incident occurred at Hilltop's main campus location at 1652 Ousdahl Road.
Hilltop is a private nonprofit and its employees report to the center's executive director. Hilltop has a board of directors, and KU has a voting position on that board.
On June 4, KU announced a new executive director for Hilltop Child Development Center, Cori Berg. Because Hilltop is a department of KU Student Affairs, Berg reports to Wamelink.
"Since then (KDHE's investigation results), the Board, KU, and our new Executive Director, Cori Berg, have begun to dig deep with a thorough review to understand the systemic and cultural barriers present at Hilltop that may have contributed to these incidents," Wamelink and Fraites-Chapes wrote in the letter.
According to KDHE's child care facility inspection results website, the following allegations were substantiated (the dates correspond with the day KDHE conducted the survey):
- Hilltop's main campus location:
- April 4, 2025: Three staff members left a 5-year-old child unsupervised in a van for 50 minutes during a field trip to the city library.
- April 22, 2025: Hilltop failed to file a critical incident report in a timely manner after a parent was informed by their child's doctor that their child had sustained a mild concussion. KDHE's survey findings state the child got the concussion from hitting their head while on the playground and that the parent informed Hilltop of this incident.
- Hilltop West location:
- Feb. 5, 2025: A staff member blocked two children in a closet with a storage cart used for napping cots "so that the children were not roaming around the room while the staff members were setting out the cots," KDHE's survery description reads.
- Feb. 5, 2025: A staff member "grabbed children by the arms and forcefully set them down in chairs and on the floor" and pulled chairs out from under children which caused them to fall to the floor.
- Feb. 5, 2025: A staff member verbally abused children in an "aggressive tone of voice." According to KDHE's description, the staff member said things like, "I don't even feel sorry for you!", and, "You are going to sit there while we all watch you cry!"
- Feb. 5, 2025: Staff members failed to report suspected child abuse within 24 hours.
- Feb. 5, 2025: A staff member supplied caramel to a child who was on a restrictive diet for seizures.
- Feb. 5, 2025: Hilltop did not submit identifying information — used to complete background checks — for seven individuals working on site.
- April 17, 2025: A teacher was using their personal phone which resulted in a lack of supervision in a classroom.
According to KDHE's website, there are ongoing investigations at both Hilltop locations.
"Changes in policies, practices, and training are underway to ensure Hilltop is the community we all expect and need it to be," the July 30 letter reads.
—
