A 28-year-old former preschool worker in Newtown Township is facing assault and child endangerment charges after surveillance video allegedly captured her dropping a crying two-year-old face-down onto a mat, forcefully pushing his head into a pillow, and pulling him by his ankles and wrist. Erin Elizabeth Burke of Newtown Borough was charged following a July 24 incident at Newtown Discovery Preschool on Blacksmith Road, according to a police affidavit filed August 6.
The child's mother provided photographs showing two scratches on the right side of the toddler's neck, an abrasion and scratch on his right arm, and two scratches on his upper left arm, according to the affidavit, as reported by NewtownPANow.com. Police say classroom surveillance video shows Burke dropping the child from approximately six inches onto an air-cushioned mat, forcefully pushing his head into a pillow, pulling him by his ankles, and lifting him by his left wrist. Newtown Discovery Preschool provided police with access to that security footage, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.
Preschool Notified State the Same Day
Preschool administrators filed a ChildLine report and notified child services the day the child was injured, according to the preschool, and that report is what first brought the allegations to Newtown Township Police, per the same account from NBC10 Philadelphia. Newtown Discovery Preschool described the staff conduct as a serious and unacceptable violation of its standards of care and professional conduct, the station reports. Burke no longer works at the preschool, which opened its facility at 27 Blacksmith Road in September 2019 offering licensed early childhood programs for toddlers and young children, per the Newtown Area Communications Facebook page.
Police questioned Burke at her Newtown Township home, where she admitted she was frustrated, admitted she was rough with the child, and admitted causing his injuries, per NBC10 Philadelphia's report. Burke's defense attorney countered that the injuries occurred while Burke was changing the toddler's clothes, and said Burke would never intentionally harm a child — an account that conflicts with the surveillance-video description police gave of the child being dropped, pushed, and pulled during what appears to be a separate handling of the crying boy. The station's report does not resolve how the two accounts fit together, and both versions are described here as attributed.
Mandated Reporting Duties Under Pennsylvania Law
Newtown Township Police Chief John Hearn told NBC10 Philadelphia that people who work with children are required to report suspected abuse, and he encouraged anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect to come forward, saying the priority should be protecting the children. Under Pennsylvania's Child Protective Services Law, child care staff and administrators are mandated reporters required to immediately report suspected abuse to state authorities or face criminal misdemeanor charges for failing to do so, according to FindLaw. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services reported receiving 40,301 total ChildLine reports of suspected child abuse in 2023, with mandated reporters originating 82 percent of all referrals statewide, per the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania DHS.
Pennsylvania runs a state-supervised, county-administered child welfare system in which ChildLine intake calls automatically trigger parallel reviews by county children and youth services and local municipal police departments, the DHS notes. Under state law, Endangering the Welfare of Children charged as a third-degree felony carries a maximum penalty of up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine, while simple assault as a first-degree misdemeanor carries up to five years in prison, according to the LLF Law Firm. Burke is free on unsecured bail and is scheduled for a hearing in September; it remains unclear what specific defense strategy will be presented at that hearing.
A Prior Stint at the Same Preschool
Online resume records indicate Burke previously worked as an assistant teacher at Newtown Discovery Preschool in early 2021 and holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from West Chester University. The exact timeline of the preschool's internal review on July 24 and whether additional classroom staff were present during the incident remain open questions. The case adds to a string of recent Bucks County prosecutions involving allegations against people who work with children, following a separate daycare abuse case reported in May.
