East Bethel daycare worker charged with slapping child in her care

EAST BETHEL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A staff member at a child care center in East Bethel faces charges after reportedly slapping a child that was in her care.

East Bethel daycare worker charged

What we know:

Emily Rose Kernanen, 22, of Bethel, is charged with two counts of fifth-degree assault for incidents that occurred on April 23, 2026.

According to charges filed in Anoka County, deputies received a report of child maltreatment occurring at Compass Child Care.

Upon arrival, deputies spoke with another staff member who reported that she was seated at a table with children when she saw Kernanen "smack" a child in the mouth with an open hand.

Dig deeper:

According to the charges, when deputies interviewed Kernanen, she admitted she "bopped [the child] on the mouth" and also said "bitch." The employee said the child then cried afterward.

Deputies reviewed surveillance video from Compass Child Care, and saw that around 12:32 p.m., Kernanen was walking near tables while a child was crying with her hand near her face. She then leans over toward the child and says, "Do we talk like that? Is that how we talk? No."

In a separate incident from the same day, video footage shows Kernanen walk over to another child, bend down, slap the right hand of the child, and then she appears to slap the child on the forehead, according to the charges. She can be heard saying, "put your socks and shoes on" and "we're not playing with toys" before tossing the child's socks and shoes near the area of the child's legs.