Hayley Kelleher, 18, pleaded guilty to assaulting the child while working at Jenny's Kindergarten and Early Learning centre in Bathurst, central western NSW, on July 11.
Kelleher was trying to settle a group of children for a midday nap, when the boy repeatedly refused to lie on his mattress, according an agreed statement of facts.
The court document said Kelleher asked a senior colleague for help, but was ignored and she decided to move the boy's mattress away from the other children.
"Despite continued requests for assistance (she) received no support from other educators and became increasingly frustrated and flustered," the document said.
Kelleher grabbed the boy's right arm and lifted him off the ground, before dragging him three metres away to a different mattress.
"(Kelleher) released the victim short of the mattress then picked him up again by his right arm and placed him on to the mattress," the document said.
The statement of facts was amended to say Kelleher placed the boy on the mattress, rather than an initial allegation made public by police that she "threw" him.
The boy was hurt and his jumper was torn, with police considering Kelleher's force to be "excessive".
The assault was captured on CCTV and the child's mother reported the incident to the education department and police.
Kelleher was sacked soon after.
Magistrate Gemma Slack-Smith convicted Kelleher of one count of common assault in Bathurst Local Court on Wednesday.
She imposed an 18-month conditional release order.
"She had a responsibility, she was in a position of trust," Ms Slack-Smith said.
The young woman admitted her actions during a police interview in mid-September.
"(Kelleher) expressed remorse and stated she did not intend to cause harm to the victim or damage his clothing," the court document said.
"She admitted to feeling frustrated and flustered due to the lack of assistance managing the child."
The conduct of childcare companies and workers has been under the spotlight for much of 2025, after a long-running investigation into the sector by ABC's Four Corners program.
In a statement to the media, the Bathurst centre said it held a strict zero-tolerance policy towards any form of abuse, neglect or inappropriate conduct.
"We have worked closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that all necessary steps were taken, and that the concerns of the family involved were addressed respectfully and thoroughly," the centre said.
22°C