Hialeah daycare director arrested for allegedly slapping 3-year-old while changing diaper

A Hialeah daycare director was arrested after she allegedly struck a 3-year-old while changing his diaper, police said.

Rosa Iriarte Alcala, 52, was arrested Thursday on a charge of child abuse with no great bodily harm, an arrest report said.

Alcala had been the director of E-Z Daycare on West 30th Street, records showed.

According to the report, the child’s mother reported that when he was picked up by his grandmother on Oct. 10, she noticed a handprint marking on his left thigh area.

The mother reported it to the daycare owner, who told the mother she reviewed surveillance footage and it showed Alcala striking the boy while changing his diaper, the report said.

Investigators later reviewed the video and confirmed it showed Alcala striking the child with an open hand, the report said.

Photos of the child from that day showed “visible redness on the left thigh consistent with being struck by an adult hand (outline of two fingers still show printed on the skin),” the report said.

Alcala was booked into jail and appeared before a judge on Friday, where she was appointed a public defender and granted pre-trial release with a $5,000 alternate bond.

E-Z Daycare released a statement Friday about the arrest.

“We are deeply saddened by the recent incident involving one of our employees. As soon as we became aware of the situation, we acted immediately and are fully cooperating with the child’s parents, local authorities, and the Department of Children and Families,” the statement read. “The child is safe and remains in our care. We want to assure our families and the community that we take the safety and well-being of every child very seriously. While this incident was the work of a single individual, it does not reflect the values ​​or standards of our program. Appropriate steps have been taken to address the situation, and we remain committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all children.”