Scituate preschool teacher arrested after slamming children into walls, officials say

A day care worker in Scituate was arrested and charged with more than a dozen counts of assault and battery Wednesday after officials accused her of pushing children to the ground and slamming them into tables, chairs, and walls.

Lilly Garofola, 29, of Hull, was arraigned in Hingham District Court. She pleaded not guilty to four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and 12 counts of assault and battery, according to Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz. 

Garofola was an employee of Little Steps Learning Center in Scituate. Concerned parents and staff members approached Scituate police in recent weeks to report troubling behavior from Garofola, according to Cruz. 

Between April and May, Garofola assaulted five different children during school hours, according to prosecutors. In addition to slamming children to the ground and against walls, Garofola also verbally abused some of the children, according to reports that were filed with police. Most of the instances of alleged abuse were captured on surveillance video. 

A newly hired staff member observed Garofola’s behavior and reported it to police, saying that she seemed “child loving” at first before turning violent, prosecutors said at the arraignment, according to WHDH. Garofola allegedly yelled “I hate you” and “why do you make my job so hard?” in the faces of young children. 

Garofola’s boyfriend, who was not identified, told WHDH that she worked at Little Steps for eight years without complaint. 

Garofola was arrested Wednesday morning without incident. She was suspended from work at Little Steps and later resigned, according to Cruz. 

Prosecutors requested that Garofola be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing, which a judge denied. The state then requested she be held on $50,000 bail. The judge set bail at $1,000, which Garofola posted. She was ordered to have no contact with children under the age of 16 or with the witnesses in the case, according to court documents. She is expected back in court on July 1.

Little Steps serves children between the ages of 6 weeks old through 6 years old. All of its professional teaching staff are certified by the Department of Early Education, according to its website. 

“Little Steps is a family-owned and operated business that has nurtured the development of children in our community – including our own kids, family, and friends – for more than 15 years,” a representative of Little Steps management said in a statement to Boston.com.

“These charges are deeply concerning and are not aligned with Little Steps’ core values. Upon learning of the allegations, Little Steps took immediate action to ensure the safety and well-being of every child entrusted to our care. We are cooperating with all state agencies and local authorities as they continue their investigations,” the representative said.

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