Georgia regulators are reviewing a serious injury at Willoway Preschool in McDonough after a fire extinguisher reportedly fell from a wall and struck a 2-year-old girl’s foot. The child, Jynesis Daniel, later lost one toe after undergoing two surgeries, according to WSB-TV Channel 2.
The incident occurred Aug. 21 at the McDonough preschool. WSB-TV reported that the extinguisher had been loose before it fell, and that the child was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Arthur M. Blank Hospital. The family has retained an attorney and reported the matter to Henry County police, the station reported. The police and regulatory inquiries’ findings have not been announced.
What Georgia regulators are examining
Willoway Preschool reported the injury to the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, or DECAL, as required, and the agency is investigating, according to WSB-TV. The available reporting does not establish whether investigators have determined why the extinguisher came loose, whether it was installed or inspected properly, or whether any violation caused the injury.
Georgia’s child-care rules require centers to secure equipment and furniture that could tip or fall and injure a child. The rules also address the storage of potentially hazardous materials and pressurized equipment, according to DECAL’s licensing regulations. Those provisions provide standards for an investigation, but they do not by themselves establish that Willoway violated them.
Possible licensing consequences
If DECAL finds violations, Georgia’s enforcement options can range from a public reprimand or fine to restrictions on services, monitoring, suspension or revocation of a license, and emergency closure, depending on the circumstances and seriousness of the conduct, according to the agency’s rules. No such action has been announced in connection with the August injury.
The agency’s review is separate from any police inquiry or civil claim. Georgia is among the jurisdictions with a system for receiving and responding to reports of possible child-care health and safety violations, according to ChildCare.gov. A reported complaint or injury is not, by itself, proof that a center violated licensing rules.
Earlier disciplinary action reported
WSB-TV also reported that DECAL fined Willoway after a separate April incident in which another 2-year-old was left outside unattended for 26 minutes. That prior matter and the current injury involve different alleged circumstances; the available information does not show that they resulted from the same condition or establish a broader pattern at the center.
For now, the central questions are whether the extinguisher was properly secured, whether required safety checks were completed and what DECAL and law enforcement determine. Willoway’s owner told WSB-TV that the health and safety of the children remain the center’s priority. The family is seeking accountability while Jynesis continues recovering from an injury that permanently changed her foot.
