KELOLAND News has received a statement from La Petite since this story aired at 5 p.m.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Two women who worked at Sioux Falls day cares are facing child abuse allegations.

One incident was reported Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.

Both women are behind bars in Minnehaha County.

Child care provider checks, reporting in South Dakota

A 10 minute video captured inside NXTGen Kidz shows 38-year-old Chelsea Struss hitting toddlers, handling them roughly, and dropping one onto the ground face first according to an affidavit.

The alleged victims are all one-year-old boys.

Court documents say a staff member in a hallway overheard Struss yelling at the children and stepped into the room to intervene.

Struss reportedly said she was over stimulated and had a lot going on.

“This is never OK,” parent Destiny Amyx said.

Amyx says her toddler was in the room during the alleged abuse.

“I work with children with autism, and I know how hard it can be, but that is not an excuse. It is very serious, and it’s something I’m still trying to process as a parent,” Amyx said.

A statement on NXTGen Kidz’s Facebook page says the business is saddened by the incident and remains committed to working with police on any misconduct by staff.

Cost of chocolate doubled, Deadwood shop owners say

Investigators say the second case was reported in the 5100 block of South Cliff Avenue.

That’s the same block where La Petite Academy is located.

“What we had found out was one of the employees, our suspect in this case, took some wood chips that were kind of in the playground area and pushed them into the child’s mouth,” said Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department.

Mia Lopez, 22, is currently in jail in connection to the case.

Police say the four-year-old alleged victim wasn’t physically hurt.

The Lincoln County State’s Attorney says criminal charges will be filed early next week.

The court system is currently closed for the Easter holiday.

KELOLAND News spoke with the owner of NXTGen Kidz on the phone Friday.

She says Struss, who faces four counts of felony child abuse, is no longer employed there.

KELOLAND News also reached out to La Petite Academy which provided this emailed statement at 5:17 p.m.:

“The safety and wellbeing of our children is our highest priority. Our staff members are expected to follow childcare regulations and uphold our policies at all times. We are providing our full cooperation in the investigation regarding this matter. We remain committed to providing a safe, nurturing learning environment for all children in our care and will continue to assist authorities in any way we can.”  La Petite Academy

The full statement posted on NXTGen Kidz Facebook page can be read here:

“On April 15th, a supervisor overheard a staff member yelling at a child and quickly intervened. The staff member explained that she was feeling stressed and overstimulated. Shortly thereafter, she received assistance from another staff member and was sent home within minutes. Since then, an investigation has been initiated. We have fully cooperated with the Sioux Falls Police Department and Child Protective Services during this process. The investigation includes reviewing past video footage to address any previous issues that may arise. We are saddened by the incident and remain committed to working with the police department to address any misconduct by staff at NxtGen. We hold our staff to a high standard and extend our sympathy to all families involved.” NXTGen Kidz