A former Rotorua childcare supervisor accused of placing pillows over children's heads has been charged with assault.
Nicola Annette Moke-Amotawa, 32, is charged with three representative charges of assault relating to three young children.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Moke-Amotawa is alleged to have pulled a sheet and blankets over the children's heads, then placed a pillow on top of their heads.
The name of the childcare centre has not been revealed in court documents. The Daily Post understood the woman no longer worked at the centre.
The charges alleged Moke-Amotawa assaulted the children in Rotorua between March and August 2004.
Moke-Amotawa appeared in Rotorua District Court yesterday.
Crown prosecutor Fraser Wood said a trial date was not yet available and asked the matter be put off until a second callover on November 9.
Judge Michael Green remanded Moke-Amotawa on bail.
New Zealand Childcare Association chief executive officer Nancy Bell was not aware of Moke-Amotawa's case.
In general, anyone who was convicted of an offence could find it difficult to work in the childcare profession, she said.
Early childhood reforms will see 70 per cent of childcare staff become registered teachers by 2012.
The reforms have been hailed in some sectors but criticised in others because it could mean stiffer childcare costs for parents.
Ms Bell said she supported the reforms because it was becoming more important for staff to know the boundaries when caring for children.
The reforms aim to have childcare workers registered with the New Zealand Teachers Council, a process that includes obtaining a degree or diploma in teaching, being vetted by the police and being supervised by a registered teacher for two years.
- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)
Childcare worker accused of assault
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