A former daycare teacher has been sentenced to two years in prison for throwing a 2-year-old child under her care, leading to the toddler hitting their head.
Kristie Kovarcik, 49, of Haddam faced sentencing on Thursday in Middletown Superior Court where a judge ordered that her prison term be followed by five years of probation, according to court records. While on probation, a violation would expose her to an additional six years behind bars.
The sentencing comes after Kovarcik took a plea deal in July, pleading guilty to one felony count of risk of injury to a minor and three misdemeanor counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.
Kovarcik’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
CT day care teacher charged with throwing 2-year-old, causing child’s head to hit a wall
Kovarcik was arrested in February 2024 after investigators with the Middletown Police Department received a complaint a month earlier alleging that a 2-year-old child was assaulted by a teacher at the Town & Country Early Learning Center at 195 South Main St.
Detectives with the department’s Special Investigations Unit were able to obtain surveillance video that reportedly showed Kovarcik picking up the 2-year-old and tossing the child to the side, police said. According to police, the child’s head then reportedly hit a nearby wall, causing a cut above their right eye, the footage showed.
Police said the facility director heard a commotion and pulled up the surveillance camera for Kovarcik’s room. She told authorities she saw Kovarcik toss the child aside and heard the child’s head hit the wall.
The director told police she then went to the room, removed the child and reported the incident to the parents and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.
Police said further investigation led to the discovery of several occasions when Kovarcik and another teacher were observed mishandling other children under their care. Investigators obtained a warrant for Kovarcik’s arrest and later one for the other teacher, who police identified as 33-year-old Onima Rahman.
Both teachers were fired, according to police.
Rahman has pleaded not guilty to one count of risk of injury to a minor and two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, records show. She is free on a promise to appear and is next scheduled to appear before a judge on Oct. 30.
