SPOKANE, Wash. – A Spokane daycare worker made her first court appearance today on serious charges stemming from a series of alleged assaults on young children at Lil Hawks Daycare.
According to court documents, the investigation against Marissa Ann-Marie Kuhen, 27, began when a child was hospitalized in April for a leg fracture from being pulled off a play structure. Other charges stem from various incidents captured on video, including Kuhen allegedly slapping, throwing and mistreating the children, leading to visible injuries and distress.
During today’s court appearance, Kuhen was formally charged with one count of second-degree assault of a child for the play structure incident as well as 13 counts of third-degree assault of a child involving other children.
The case was referred to police by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), and a search warrant was executed on May 29, 2025, to retrieve the daycare’s video footage for further investigation, court documents added.
DCYF provides a tool called Child Care Check that helps families understand their child care provider’s progress in quality improvement.
Lil Hawks scores a rating of three, meaning the facility has achieved a quality level of excellence through an on-site assessment focused on the learning environment and interactions between teachers and children.
Jennifer Crow, the attorney representing Lil Hawks’ daycare offered a statement:
“My client is fully cooperating with the investigating authorities but cannot comment further at this time.”
