Video shows daycare teacher throwing 3-year-old against cabinet after claiming child fell

Missouri authorities are investigating after surveillance footage revealed the disturbing details of an incident that took place earlier this month at a local daycare.

A three-year-old girl who attended Brighter Day Care and Preschool in St. Louis County, Mo., was rushed to a nearby hospital on Feb. 1 with a head injury that required seven stitches, according to KTVI.

The child was released to her parents, who later received a note from her teacher stating she had hurt herself in an accidental "fall."

Five days after the incident, one of the child's relatives was able to record a cellphone video off of a surveillance monitor showing what actually happened to the young student. In the disturbing footage, the three-year-old appears to calmly stand by a chair in the classroom for about two minutes before the teacher crosses the room, grabs her by the arm and throws her against a cabinet.

"In no world did this family have any idea that what was called a fall was actually an assault until they came to see that video," said Jennifer Hansen, an attorney representing the injured toddler's family.

"The daycare could've reviewed that footage at any time," she added. "They didn't and they allowed the daycare worker who assaulted this little girl to continue to work at the facility for five additional days."

The daycare reportedly fired the teacher in question after reviewing the video. Police and state child care inspectors are both investigating the incident, which appears to be the latest in a string of multiple to plague the daycare, KTVI uncovered.

Daycare director Sharon Williams told the station she could not comment because of the ongoing investigation.

Williams's attorney later released a statement saying: "All teachers and staff are properly trained and extremely qualified. Providing a quality education in a safe environment is of the utmost importance to our teachers and staff. It has always been our policy to notify the proper authorities and to fully comply with any investigation. We have and will continue to follow said policy."