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Written by: A. Smith
Published February 14, 2025 @ 10:48 AM ET
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – A daycare worker accused of sexually and physically abusing children at two separate childcare facilities is now facing additional legal action as more victims come forward.
Tulsi Patel, 22, was arrested in July on multiple charges, including aggravated child molestation after authorities say she abused 12 children at Kids ‘R’ Kids on Webb Bridge Road in Alpharetta. Six months later, Patel is out on bond as legal proceedings continue. Attorney John Bey of Bey & Associates, LLC, who represents the families of four alleged victims says the families are disappointed at Patel’s release.
A recent lawsuit alleges that Patel was involved in another incident months before her arrest at Kids ‘R’ Kids. According to legal documents, Patel was accused of sexually abusing a 3-year-old at Cornerstone, a preschool in Forsyth County. The lawsuit claims the child was harmed to the point of bleeding. When the child’s parents reported the incident, the owner of Cornerstone allegedly dismissed their concerns, suggesting the child had “made up” the story.
The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning revoked Cornerstone’s childcare license after discovering that the school failed to report the alleged abuse. Cornerstone’s president, Angela Martin, was arrested and charged with failure to report the March incident. She is scheduled to return to court this spring.
State officials have opened a second investigation into the Kids ‘R’ Kids facility, where Patel worked for just two weeks before her arrest. According to authorities, Patel allegedly inappropriately touched multiple four-year-old children. Parents became suspicious when a child complained of pain and later pointed to Patel as the perpetrator. Medical evaluations confirmed injuries consistent with abuse.
On July 29, 2024, the owners of Kids ‘R’ Kids Webb Bridge issued the following statement:
We are deeply saddened and troubled to inform you about a serious incident that has occurred within our school community, whereas, Tulsi Patel, a recently-hired teacher, was arrested on Friday, July 26 for egregious misconduct towards children.
This behavior is completely unacceptable and goes against everything we stand for as an educational institution with a mission of ensuring every child in our care feels safe, loved, and inspired. We take that responsibility, and the trust that each family places in us, very seriously.
Upon learning of these allegations on July 25th, we took immediate and decisive action. We have fully cooperated with the authorities by turning over all available video evidence to the police and contacted the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) to self-report the matter. Additionally, we called the impacted families and notified all school parents.
The safety and well-being of the children and families impacted by this are our highest priorities, and we will continue to assist in the investigation to ensure that justice is served. Our school has also retained counseling and support services to assist the involved children and families during this very difficult time.
We want to assure you that we will remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our students. We will not tolerate any form of misconduct, and we are committed to ensuring that the teacher involved is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
We understand that this news is distressing and may raise concerns about the safety of children in our care. Please know that we are taking every possible measure to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. We have already begun a thorough review of our policies and procedures to strengthen our safeguards and ensure a secure and supportive environment for all our students.
Thank you for your understanding, patience and support. Kids ‘R’ Kids is a strong and tight-knit community of children and families and we will need to rely on one another in the days and weeks ahead as we cope with the devastation and shock of this revelation.
Regards,
Ownership & Management Team
Kids ‘R’ Kids Webb Bridge
As legal proceedings continue, families of the alleged victims have filed lawsuits against both Kids ‘R’ Kids and Cornerstone.
“I don’t think this is the type of situation where there is any doubt that it happened. There’s a video. Everybody knows that it happened. The families are looking forward to sentencing and seeing justice served,” said Bey.
No trial date has been set for Patel at this time.