Suffolk investigators probe abuse allegations at Northport day care center

Parents in Northport are confronting abuse allegations at The Learning Experience on Fort Salonga Road, where Suffolk County police and state regulators are examining whether staff used prohibited punishment and whether warning signs were missed.

The center at 1014 Fort Salonga Rd in Northport has been licensed since Dec. 11, 2009 and is approved for 151 children, including 16 infants, 36 toddlers, 81 preschoolers and 18 school-age children. Its current registration runs through Dec. 10, 2027.

Suffolk County Police said Special Victims Unit detectives are investigating reports made April 10 involving a day care employee at the facility. State records show an annual unannounced inspection on Feb. 19, 2026 found violations, and earlier 2025 monitoring visits also found problems.

The owner said the center has operated for more than 16 years and has always followed state requirements for reporting suspected abuse. The owner also said the employee at the center of the allegations no longer works there. The corporate office had not responded to a request for comment, and the center remained open as the investigation continued.

Former staff members, speaking anonymously, described conduct they considered abusive and inappropriate in a child-care setting, including corporal punishment and spanking. State child-care rules bar corporal punishment, and regulations also prohibit discipline or toilet-training methods that frighten, demean or humiliate a child.

Records cited in the case also indicate some staff members did not report suspected abuse and that some employees did not meet required qualifications. Under state rules, child care workers are mandated reporters, and county Child Protective Services units are required to investigate reports of abuse or maltreatment. The statewide hotline takes those reports 24 hours a day, every day.

For one Northport mother, the allegations hit close to home. She told News 12 that her 3-year-old son was abused at the day care and said her earlier concerns were brushed aside. “Just knowing that we’ve brought up so many concerns and they’ve gone on deaf ears, it really makes us as parents realize you have to trust your instincts,” she said. “This is just a parent’s worst nightmare.”

The case now tests more than one facility’s practices. It raises a broader question for Suffolk parents about whether licensing, reporting and inspection systems are strong enough to catch problems before children are harmed, and whether the safeguards promised in early-childhood care are being enforced with enough urgency.