BATON ROUGE - An employee with the East Baton Rouge Head Start program lost her job and faces cruelty charges after she was reportedly caught on video striking a 3-year-old.

The warrant says the assault at Freeman-Matthews Head Start was first reported to law enforcement on Jan. 5, 2023. The documents said video shows Keyayra Clay, 28, slapping the back of the toddler's head and kicking the child as they were sitting down.

The warrant goes on to say that video shows the 3-year-old shielding his/herself with a book before Clay "slapped" it from the victim's hands, hitting the child in the process.

City-parish records list Clay as a teacher's aide with the Head Start program. 

The City-Parish sent the following statement Monday afternoon: 

Upon learning of the incident through an inquiry by DCFS, EBR Head Start immediately sent the staff person home, contacted law enforcement and began its own administrative investigation. The individual is no longer employed with EBR Head Start. EBR Head Start has zero tolerance for abuse and neglect. This incident does not reflect the values and mission of EBR Head Start, to provide a safe and nurturing environment for our students and families.