A daycare worker at a YMCA in Central Texas is facing serious accusations and multiple felony charges for incidents involving "inappropriate physical redirection" with children. Geraldine Wilson Browning, 45, a teacher at the YMCA Childcare Development Center at Northwest Elementary School, has been charged with four counts of injury to a child and one count of assault, as reported by CBS Austin.
An initial review of surveillance footage by Pflugerville ISD human resources led to the discovery of Browning engaging in alarming behavior, including an instance where she was purportedly seen "choking" a child, despite the school staff being "deeply disturbed" by the footage, they notified the YMCA leadership, the Pflugerville ISD Police Department, and Child Protective Services. While not currently in law enforcement custody, Browning faces five active warrants for her arrest tied to these incidents, as detailed by KVUE.
Further video examination revealed more instances of misconduct, including Browning grabbing children by the neck, shaking them, tightly gripping a 2-year-old girl by the neck and collarbone, and forcibly placing her on the floor as she cried — in one of the described incidents, the same girl was pulled onto Browning's lap by grabbing under her ears at a pressure point. The Pflugerville ISD has not disclosed additional details about the alleged incidents but emphasizes its commitment to student safety and to ensuring a safe learning environment for all children in the program.
Following these events, Browning was terminated by the YMCA, "We recently terminated an employee after reviewing evidence of physical aggression directed at several of our students," Laura Arredondo, Chief Marketing Officer at the YMCA of Central Texas, told CBS Austin, stating that the children's well-being is a foremost priority; and in keeping with this commitment, they have taken steps to implement additional staffing, training, and leadership oversight in order to enhance the care and safety measures at the childcare center.
