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NEWTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A childcare center in Newton has closed its doors after photos circulated on social media, depicting the children there wearing "black masks" for a Black History Month activity.
IC Kids Montessori management said in a Facebook post on Sunday that the teacher who planned and executed the activity has been fired. Out of consideration of protests potentially happening outside the center, IC Kids said their daycare will be closed for an unspecified amount of time and will refer currently enrolled families to a list of other child care centers in the area.
IC Kids said that the "black mask/blackface instance" happened on February 8 in the toddlers' classroom, and that when one parent pointed out the activity was offensive, the teacher responsible apologized.
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The childcare center said that the staff member in question did not "execute curriculum in the manner trained to do so resulting in this negative impact."
"In the event that we reopen our doors all staff will be trained in diversity and creating curriculum for the birth to 5-year-old age group," IC Kids said in a statement. The childcare center also said they will aim for a more diverse staff with strong childcare background knowledge and experience.
"Multicultural issues in childcare and other mandated professional development will be done continuously through the year," the center said.
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