New Taipei to probe preschool operator over alleged child abuse cases

Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) The New Taipei City Education Department said Thursday it will conduct an inspection of a major preschool operator following recent reports of alleged child abuse, warning that violations could result in penalties, including revocation of its operational permit.

The department told CNA it will carry out a full inspection within a week of all 10 preschools under the "Yu-Chuan" group, with possible penalties ranging from reduced enrollment to suspension of enrollment, suspension of operations and revocation of its operational permit.

Separately, the department's Division of Early Childhood Education said it has a zero-tolerance policy for mistreatment of children and will investigate, punish, and publicly announce violations in accordance with the law, while also penalizing preschools for lapses in supervision and management.

The response came after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Yueh-chin (林月琴) accused a preschool operator of illegally employing unqualified staff, repeatedly violating regulations over multiple years, and the improper treatment of children.

The event was attended by Lin, Jing Chuan Child Safety Foundation Executive Director Hsu Ya-jen (許雅荏), and representatives of families affected by alleged child abuse.

From 2020 to 2025, the group's 18 preschools in New Taipei and Taoyuan were repeatedly penalized for employing unqualified staff, yet oversight failures allowed the problems to continue, Lin said.

Citing an incident at its Tucheng preschool last August, the DPP lawmaker said surveillance showed an employee surnamed Tseng (曾) repeatedly pulling, pushing, and hitting children many times over four days. At least five children were affected, yet the case was closed with a fine of just NT$30,000 (US$948), according to Lin.

She said the city's Education Department at the time only provided summary reports, preventing parents from fully understanding what their children experienced.

During the press event, a mother surnamed Tsai (蔡) called on the government to carry out thorough evaluations and inspections, and urged the preschool to honestly address its mistakes.

Parents of affected children made four demands, including a reassessment of cases to determine if heavier penalties are warranted, a full inspection of all preschools under the group with suspension of new enrollments, a registry to prevent unqualified staff from moving to other preschools, and the provision of complete surveillance footage and investigation reports to parents.