‘She Stinks Because She’s Black’: Daycare Worker Refused to Feed or Change 18-Month-Old, Wiped Her Hands After Touching the Baby — Outraged Mom Uncovers Abuse Through FOIA Request
A Michigan mother is calling for immediate action after discovering her 18-month-old daughter was subjected to racial discrimination at a Lansing day care.
The shocking revelation came only after Kendra Smith independently filed a request for records from a state welfare agency, which sent her the scathing report that documented hateful remarks and actions aimed at her child — abuses that were initially withheld from the public until the vigilant mom chose to look deeper.
Smith said she was furious when she uncovered the abuses at the tinkrLAB facility, where her daughter was enrolled two years ago.
“That was really hard to handle as a parent,” Smith said, according to WLNS 6 News. “You don’t ever want to have to deal with your child.”
The situation first came to light in February 2023, when Smith received a call from Child Protective Services. The voice on the other line said the matter involved racial discrimination against Smith’s daughter, Braelynn, leaving the woman stunned.
“They informed me that they received a report from the facility that we had Braelynn enrolled in, Tinkrlab, and the report stated that there was some discrimination the day prior,” Smith said. “One of the providers in the facility said that Braelynn stinks because she’s Black, and it’s probably because of the Black products that we use in her hair,” Smith said.
One daycare worker told investigators that another staff member not only refused to feed or hold Braelynn but also went so far as to coldly wipe her hands after touching the child.
“CCSM 2 refuses to change child D’s diaper. If Child D tries to hold CCSM 2’s hand, CCSM 2 will only allow Child D to hold one finger, then wipes her hands on her pants after Child D lets go of her finger.”
At just 18 months old, the girl is far too young to grasp the concept of race, let alone recognize that she was being mistreated because of it. Smith said she was steaming over what happened.
“She was also the one that made a comment about well she probably stinks because Black people use cooking grease in their hair,” Smith fumed. “CPS had a portion of the case that they investigated because there were points of neglect. Braelynn not being fed, provider not wanting to change her.”
Child Protective Services told Smith they would launch a thorough investigation with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
However, Smith found herself in the dark as her calls went unanswered. Frustrated, she filed a Freedom of Information Act request, and weeks later, she received a 20-page report that outlined CPS investigators’ findings following multiple visits to the day care.
While certain sections of the report are redacted, it investigated multiple allegations, confirmed most of them, and included recommendations for further action.
“That’s when I learned that, along with some other situations happened, and they were placed on a provisional license with monitoring, and told to do some DEI trainings for their staffs.”
The report not only referenced an unnamed childcare worker but also included statements from day care director Madison Sorenson, who was informed of the troubling comments.
“They told the director, ‘Hey, these comments happened. They happened in the presence of children. What are you going to do about it?’”
Smith alleged her response was childish and racist, “‘Well, Black people owned white people as slaves before, so I guess it’s OK,’” Smith said of Sorenson.
Despite reaching out to day care owner Melissa Rabideau via email and phone, Smith said she got no response. However, Rabideau did address the situation on Tinkrlab’s Facebook page, stating that some of the staff involved had not been with the daycare since 2023.
“I regret the way the entire situation was handled. I have learned so much, put so many protocols in place, so many policies and accountabilities to ensure there is no question of our standards and expectations. I have taken trainings, put my team through trainings and am regularly evaluating where we are at,” she wrote.