A childcare worker has admitted to assaulting a young child after feeling overwhelmed and unsupported by her colleagues in managing the child’s behavior.

Hayley Kelleher, 18, confessed to the assault of a three-year-old boy during her employment at Jenny’s Kindergarten and Early Learning Centre in Bathurst, located in central western New South Wales, on July 11.

In a brief appearance at Bathurst Local Court, Kelleher pleaded guilty to a charge of common assault.

The incident occurred while Kelleher was attempting to settle a group of children aged three to five for their midday nap. The young boy persistently refused to lie on his mattress, as detailed in an agreed-upon statement of facts.

According to court documents, Kelleher sought assistance from a senior colleague but was allegedly ignored. Consequently, she decided to move the boy’s mattress away from the other children.

“Despite continued requests for assistance (Kelleher) received no support from other educators and became increasingly frustrated and flustered,” the document said.

Kelleher grabbed the boy’s right arm and lifted him off the ground, before dragging him three metres away to a different mattress.

“(Kelleher) released the victim short of the mattress then picked him up again by his right arm and placed him on to the mattress,” the document said.

The statement of facts was amended to say Kelleher placed the boy on the mattress, rather than an initial allegation made public by police that she “threw” him.

The incident was captured on CCTV.

“The action caused the victim pain and discomfort and resulted in his jumper being torn,” the court document said.

“The action of (Kelleher) was considered excessive of a reasonable amount of force to manage a child.”

The child’s mother complained to the NSW education department and the centre launched an internal investigation.

Kelleher was sacked soon after.

After the department showed the mother the CCTV footage, she reported the incident to police in late August.

During a police interview in mid-September, Kelleher admitted her actions.

“(Kelleher) expressed remorse and stated she did not intend to cause harm to the victim or damage his clothing,” the court document said.

“She admitted to feeling frustrated and flustered due to the lack of assistance managing the child.”

The conduct of childcare companies and workers has been under the spotlight for much of 2025, after a long-running investigation into the sector by ABC’s Four Corners program.

In a statement to the media, the Bathurst centre said it held a strict zero-tolerance policy towards any form of abuse, neglect or inappropriate conduct.

“We have worked closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all necessary steps were taken, and that the concerns of the family involved were addressed respectfully and thoroughly,” the centre said.

Kelleher will be sentenced on December 10.