Lawyers at The Button Law Firm aim to hold Allen Knowledge Beginnings accountable for ignoring 3-year-old girl’s serious food allergy
ALLEN, Texas, Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The mother of a 3-year-old girl is suing the daycare center Allen Knowledge Beginnings, alleging repeated negligence regarding the toddler’s life-threatening fish allergy. In the complaint, Danielle Levy states that caregivers at the facility gave her daughter fish sticks on two separate occasions within the span of four months, despite Levy notifying the center of her daughter’s allergy and providing an emergency plan at the time of her enrollment. The second time the daycare center served the girl fish sticks, in July 2022, she went into anaphylaxis and was found in a bathroom barely breathing with a swollen tongue, lips, and face, according to the suit.
Shockingly, the school and the toddler’s caregiver chose not to contact emergency medical services and did not follow the girl’s emergency allergy plan, as required by the state, in a situation where every second counts, according to the complaint. The daycare center contacted Levy, who ended up calling 911. First responders administered two EpiPens and gave the toddler an oral medication to combat her anaphylaxis while en route to the hospital. The suit states first responders told Levy if she had waited just five more minutes to contact them or taken the girl to the hospital herself, her daughter most likely would have passed away from anaphylactic shock.
“In a literal life-or-death situation involving my daughter’s life, Allen Knowledge Beginnings failed to act quickly,” Levy says. “It’s infuriating, and I am relieved that she’s still here thanks to the first responders that I contacted.”
Despite Allen Knowledge Beginnings advertising itself as a food allergy-safe facility, it failed to deliver on its promise, according to the suit. An independent investigation into Levy’s case by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Child-Care Licensing Division and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services found the daycare center violated state laws by exposing a child to a known allergen. In addition, the investigation found the girl’s caregiver had not completed a background check nor did she have training in how to prevent and respond to emergencies like a severe allergic reaction, according to the complaint.
“This lawsuit highlights the fact that negligence leading to this little girl’s severe allergic reaction is not just a legal issue but also a stark reminder that daycare centers like Allen Knowledge Beginnings bare responsibilities in protecting the lives of little ones that hard-working parents entrust in their care,” says Levy’s attorney Russell Button of The Button Law Firm.
The case is Danielle Levy, Individually and as next friend of Z.H., a minor child, vs. Kindercare Learning Centers, LLC d/b/a Allen Knowledge Beginnings and Alyssa Crisostomo, Cause No. 296-00789-2024 in the District Court of Collin County, Texas. A copy of the complaint can be accessed here.
