Robins Air Force Base daycare worker sentenced to federal prison

Zhanay Flynn and Antanesha Fritz were sentenced to six months in a federal prison for second-degree child abuse.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia – Two former employees of a daycare center at Robins Air Force Base will serve six months in federal prison.

The courts charged Zhanay Flynn and Antanesha Fritz with second-degree child abuse.

Back in 2022, the women were accused in a federal indictment of abusing at least 14 children at Robins' Child Development Center. They worked in the room for 2- and 3-year-olds.

Jennifer Clinton says her daughter was abused at the facility in 2019.

The base works daily to ensure the security of our entire country, so Clinton said she felt her child was in good hands at the center.

“You're dealing with active duty soldiers and even retirees who go there,” she said. “Their children go there too, so you'd think they'd have higher expectations of themselves.”

Clinton says she saw a video on monitors near the facility that appeared to show her two-year-old daughter and her classmates being encouraged to fight.

“One little girl hit her on the back of the head and the other hit her on the back,” she said.

Clinton says she reported this to the facility manager and security, but her complaint had no effect.

According to court documents, 14 families accused Flynn and Fritz of child abuse. The women must now spend six months in federal prison.

“I wish they had been given more time, but that's the legal system,” she said.

According to the documents, both women made the children sit in dirty underwear all day and encouraged them to fight. They are accused of disciplining the children by spraying cleaning solution in their faces and forcing them to sit in small rooms.

The filing says Flynn admitted she knew cameras were recording everything, but she believed no one cared. She told investigators the center's director did not take previous reports seriously.

“Parents care,” Clinton said. “The little kids – the kids themselves care. They admire these people.”

Reg Griffin works for the Georgia Department of Early Child and Learning Center, the state agency that oversees most child care centers, but not the federal facility in Robins.

“The good news is that 98 percent of Georgia’s approximately 4,500 childcare facilities have a good reputation,” he said.

Griffin says your child's brain development is most pronounced in early childhood, so you want to choose the best place for it.

“Choosing a daycare center is as important as choosing a college, technical school or university,” he said.

Griffin recommends choosing a licensed facility. He says they are subject to unscheduled, random inspections by DECAL. He says they test a variety of things like classroom, playground and food safety. They also screen staff.

“That's the ultimate buyer's caution,” he said. “Make sure you've done your homework. That you've researched the child care program. Ask all your questions and get recommendations from families who have been in those programs. Ask the tough questions. Every child is different.”

As for the families affected by Robins, Clinton says she hopes justice is served for all of them.

“I hope these young ladies understand how much suffering they have caused, because our greatest fear is that our children are not safe,” she said.

Griffin says signs of abuse include changes in behavior, poor sleep, or conversations about the teacher being mean.

Those court documents say seven families reported their children had become more aggressive and were having nightmares. Clinton says she also noticed behavioral changes in her child.

If your child attends an approved child care center that is not located on a military base, you may ask questions or raise concerns by calling the state Department of Early Care and Education at (404)657-5562 or sending complaints to [email protected].

You can also check the ratings for licensed daycare centers on qualityrated.org.