Mom angry about day care taunting

HAMDEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- A video shot by a teacher at a day care center in Hamden showing her taunting a 3-year-old is circulating through the community.

A Hamden mother contacted News 8 after she got her hands on video showing her 3-year-old son being taunted at his day care center. In this case it wasn't other kids who were taunting him, it was his teacher, Lindsay Cavallaro.

• Click here to see the video.

The incident took place at Sleeping Giant Day Care in Hamden. The taunting was all recorded on Cavallaro's cell phone. It's clear Michael was becoming increasingly frustrated as the taunting persisted.

"Do it. Go ahead. No balls. Oh you're a tough guy. Hey boss, show me your nine," Cavallaro could be heard saying.

The video was forwarded around and ended up in the email inbox of Michael's mother, Tyesha Reese.

"It got into someone's hands who actually saw the video and was like, wait a minute, I recognize whose son this is and that's when they forwarded it to me and said 'I need you to see this,'" Reese said. "And when I saw my son's face it was just unbelievable, you know."

Cavallaro has been put on paid leave while the day care center investigates.

"He's everything to me," Reese said. "He doesn't deserve it. No child deserves it and especially not mine."

She says she can't help but wonder how many other times her son was taunted by his teacher that weren't captured on camera.

"News flash sweetheart I don't really like you either. Because you throw toys. I don't like you," Cavallaro says in the video.

"It hurt because he was defenseless," Reese said. "He was sitting in a chair and as a child he was trying to defend himself."

Reese has pulled her son out of that day care center. News 8 has reached out to Cavallaro, but we have not heard back from her.