A Staten Island couple has filed a lawsuit alleging that an assistant teacher at their son's preschool slapped and dragged the 3-year-old boy across a classroom, leaving him with injuries the family says are permanent. Ariana and Joseph Lebron filed the suit in Staten Island Supreme Court on September 21 against assistant teacher Silvia Beshay, Kiddie Academy of Staten Island, the City of New York, and the city's Department of Education.
According to court documents cited by the New York Post, Beshay allegedly struck the boy with an open hand and dragged him across the classroom at the facility. The Lebrons, who work as real estate agents on Staten Island, say the incident was caught on video. Court papers state the boy suffered permanent physical and emotional injuries, and the family is demanding unspecified damages.
Kiddie Academy fired Beshay the day of the alleged attack, and she is now barred from working for New York City public schools or their partners, the outlet reports. Police arrested Beshay in November 2025, and she pleaded not guilty. But according to the Staten Island District Attorney's office, the criminal case against her was ultimately dropped and sealed.
Why a Sealed Criminal Case Doesn't End the Legal Fight
Dropped and sealed charges might sound like the end of the story, but it isn't. The New York Courts opinion addressed discovery of sealed records in another civil case. Civil claims operate under the lower preponderance-of-evidence standard, rather than the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt bar required for a criminal conviction.
The New York Post reported that video allegedly captured the incident, though the arrest never led to a conviction. The couple told the Post that their primary concern remains their son's well-being and healing, adding that their faith in Jesus Christ sustained their family through the ordeal.
NYC Child Care Regulations
Article 47 of the NYC Health Code contains provisions for child care centers.
How Kiddie Academy Responded
Kiddie Academy hired Beshay directly, and the company has said it is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of children in its care. Company leadership said it dismissed the employee immediately after the incident and reported the matter to appropriate authorities, telling the Post it takes situations of this nature seriously and would communicate with directly impacted people while following applicable requirements.
The company says its employees must complete security clearance screening, including fingerprinting and a criminal background check, and that its educators must meet or exceed state requirements for child care providers. Assistant teachers need only a high school diploma or equivalent to work in the role, and per the Post's reporting, they earn between $32,000 and $52,000 a year at the franchise.
A Franchise Model Built on City Partnerships
Kiddie Academy of Staten Island is registered as a New York City Early Education Center within Geographic District 31, which oversees public early childhood programs across the borough, according to NYC Department of Education records. That structure reflects how heavily the city's Pre-K for All and 3-K initiatives depend on contracted community-based organizations to deliver seats to tens of thousands of children, as Next100 has noted, with private operators handling daily management and hiring while receiving city funding.
Kiddie Academy itself is a national franchise system founded in 1981 in Baltimore County, Maryland, now spanning 345 franchised locations across 39 states and Washington, D.C., with mature locations generating over $2.1 million in average annual revenue, according to Swoop US. Each location is independently owned and operated by its own franchisee.
Wage structures at these contracted centers have drawn scrutiny before. A March 2024 audit by the NYC Comptroller found persistent salary disparities between certified early childhood staff at private community-based organizations and public school teachers, pointing to lower compensation models across contracted CBO centers citywide.
Part of a Wider Pattern at Daycare Franchises
The Staten Island case echoes other recent incidents at early education centers. Hoodline reported in July that a 29-year-old assistant worker at a Kiddie Academy franchise in Park Ridge, Illinois, was arrested and charged with felony aggravated battery after classroom surveillance video allegedly captured her striking a 4-year-old child multiple times. In both cases, video allegedly captured the incidents.
The Lebrons filed their lawsuit in Staten Island Supreme Court. It is not yet clear what specific vetting protocols Kiddie Academy's corporate office enforces across its franchisee network, or whether city agencies have opened any formal review of the Staten Island center's contract status following the allegations.
