Day care worker charged with battery to a child

A worker has been charged with aggravated battery to a 2-year-old child at a day care business Itasca.

Karen A. Parrella, 62, of the 100 block of Boardwalk Street in Elk Grove Village, is charged with aggravated battery to a child under the age of 13, according to DuPage County court records.

The charge alleges that at 1:58 p.m. Oct. 3, Parrella grabbed the child's head and repeatedly pushed it into a cot on which the child was lying.

The charge was filed Monday. Parrella turned herself in to Itasca police Monday and posted $3,000 bond.

Itasca police declined to say whether the child is a boy or a girl. The child sustained red marks on their face, according to police. The child's parents and employees of Kiddie Academy called authorities, Deputy Chief Tim Mace said. Parrella worked for Kiddie Academy, Mace confirmed.

The owners of the Itasca Kiddie Academy franchise, Kunjan and Margi Shah, said in a news release the staff learned on Oct. 3 "that a staff member acted in a manner contrary to our core values, as well as our operational procedures. The matter was immediately reported to the parents and to the appropriate authorities, who subsequently investigated the matter. This behavior cannot be tolerated, and the staff member was terminated from employment at the Academy."

"We are a local, family-owned independent business and parents ourselves, who care deeply about the children in our care and our community," the release said. "There is nothing more important than creating a nurturing and safe environment for the children in our care, and their families - it is our life's commitment."