Rochester daycare worker accused of slapping 2-year-old in the face

ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Rochester daycare worker is facing criminal charges after she allegedly struck a toddler in the face at the facility where she worked.

Rochester daycare assault

The backstory:

According to court documents, Connie Marie Keller, a 54-year-old daycare employee, is charged with malicious punishment of a child — meaning she allegedly used unreasonable or excessive force on a child in her care — after an incident at a Rochester daycare on May 18, 2026.

The complaint states Rochester police were dispatched around 8:40 p.m. to a daycare located at 5591 Villa Rd NW in Rochester after a report of child abuse.

The boy's mother told police that she had picked up her 2-year-old son from the daycare around 3:30 p.m. that day. About an hour and 15 minutes later, she received a call from the daycare director saying her son had been mistreated by an employee named Connie Marie Keller, and that the incident had been captured on video. After learning what happened, the woman took her son to the doctor. Medical staff did not find any injuries.

Video shows daycare worker allegedly hitting child

What they're saying:

The complaint states the daycare director told police that on May 18, an employee alerted her to a possible incident involving Keller and the boy, and asked her to review the video footage. The director watched the footage around 4 p.m. that day, and said she saw Keller cross the room and hit the boy in the face with the back of her right hand.

When the director confronted Keller about what she saw, Keller admitted she struck the child but said, "I didn't hit him hard, I was just trying to get him to stop screaming."

A second employee who was working across the room at the time told police she heard Keller ask the boy if she needed to hit him in the mouth and tell him that she would. When the boy continued to cry and scream, the employee said Keller briskly walked across the room and slapped him. The employee said she could not see Keller clearly, but heard the smack and believed Keller had slapped the child.

The complaint states on May 20, Rochester police reviewed the video footage. According to court documents, the video shows the boy on one side of the room near other children. He approached a little girl and appeared to yell at her, then did so a second time. Keller, who had been preparing lunch on the opposite side of the room, then walked across the room and smacked the boy in the mouth with the back of her hand. The video shows Keller standing over the boy as he began to cry, then pointing to a corner of the room. The boy shook his head no. When he reached a hand up, Keller slapped it away. He then wiped his eyes and moved to the corner of a table, where he stayed until the video ended.

After reviewing the footage, an officer spoke with Keller, who said she had been preparing for lunch when the boy began to "scream at the top of his lungs." She said she "just tapped" him so that he would look at her instead of screaming at the other child.

What we don't know:

It is not yet confirmed whether Keller is still employed at the daycare or what conditions, if any, were set for her release. Court proceedings are ongoing.

Crime and Public SafetyRochester