Red paint splattered across sidewalks, surveillance cameras smeared and coated, and a school bus left with broken windows — that is what greeted staff at Universal Kids Childcare and Learning Center's three Philadelphia locations after a weekend of coordinated vandalism. The South Philadelphia site on West Passyunk Avenue in Girard Estates took the worst of the damage, while the West Philadelphia location was forced to close Monday and the Southwest Philadelphia site managed to stay open despite paint found on its property.
Owner Ciara Young has run the South Philadelphia center for two years, and according to NBC10 Philadelphia, she believes her son's father is behind the damage across all three sites. The outlet reports someone linked the South Philadelphia center to child pornography, an allegation Young flatly denied. She told the station she believes a disgruntled ex is responsible for vandalizing her businesses, saying he has thrown paint over her daycare center and spray-painted inappropriate things on her locations.
City crews power washed red paint from the sidewalk in front of the South Philadelphia center, per the same report, but the damage extended well beyond one address. At the West Philadelphia location, red paint covered the security cameras and marked a school bus that also had its windows broken. The Southwest Philadelphia site's bus was damaged as well, though that location remained open through the ordeal.
Neighbors Say Trouble Started Months Ago
The vandalism did not come out of nowhere, according to neighbors near the South Philadelphia location, who told NBC10 Philadelphia that problems have been happening since June. Troy Jr., who works at KJ Auto Sales nearby, said the vandalism is concerning to see unfold in the neighborhood.
Philadelphia police are investigating the vandalism and are looking into whether it is domestic in nature, the station's report notes. No suspect has been publicly named or charged, and it remains unclear whether Young has sought a Protection From Abuse order in Family Court. Under Pennsylvania's PFA statute, judges can order a subject to stay away from a victim's workplace or child care facility, and the city's Domestic Violence Intake Unit at 1501 Arch Street processes such requests, including on an emergency basis, according to the City of Philadelphia.
What Charges Could Look Like
If investigators determine the damage was intentional and connected across the three sites, the financial and legal stakes could climb quickly. Pennsylvania graders criminal mischief on a sliding scale tied to dollar losses: a summary offense under $500, a third-degree misdemeanor above $500, and a second-degree misdemeanor once losses top $1,000, according to Zawarski Law. Losses exceeding $5,000, or damage that causes a substantial interruption to a business, can be charged as a third-degree felony carrying up to seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine, per Pennsylvania's criminal statute.
Separately, Pennsylvania's harassment and stalking laws under 18 Pa.C.S. § 2709 and § 2709.1 allow for charges when repeated targeted acts are intended to alarm someone, with penalties escalating to a third-degree felony if committed in violation of an active protective order, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Philadelphia Police Department policy also requires officers responding to domestic-related calls to treat every incident as a criminal offense requiring victim assistance and arrest where warranted, per Philadelphia Police Department Directive 90.
Daycare Plans to Reopen Next Week
Young told NBC10 Philadelphia she is working to clean up the damage and hopes to be back up and running next week, with plans to reopen and continue serving families across all three sites. Universal Kids II Childcare Learning Center's West Philadelphia site, located in Kingsessing, is a state-licensed facility with a registered capacity of 43 children, according to TOOTRiS. Pennsylvania's licensed early learning centers are governed by 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3270 and overseen by the state Department of Human Services Office of Child Development and Early Learning, which mandates building safety standards and emergency operation plans, per The Pennsylvania Key.
This is not the first time a Philadelphia child care facility has faced a sudden emergency shutdown. In March 2025, a West Philadelphia daycare experienced an emergency closure after a roof collapse, a disruption that, like this one, left working parents scrambling for childcare on short notice.
Anyone connected to the case, including victims of targeted domestic harassment, can reach the city's Office of the Victim Advocate or the 24/7 Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-866-723-3014 for safety planning and legal support, according to the City of Philadelphia. It remains unknown how much the repairs and any lost tuition will ultimately cost Young's business, and Philadelphia police have not said whether charges are imminent as the investigation continues.
