New Brunswick

Former daycare owner pleads not guilty to assault charges involving 6 kids

A former daycare owner has pleaded not guilty to eight assault charges involving six children who used to attend her child-care centre.

Mary Jana McCormack, 32, who operated Laugh & Learn Children's Centre in Harvey Station, faces 8 charges

Mary Jana McCormack, who ran a child-care centre in Harvey Station, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Fredericton to eight counts of assault involving children. She will be tried in June. (CBC)

A former daycare owner has pleaded not guilty to eight assault charges involving children who used to attend her child-care centre.

Mary Jana McCormack, 32, will go on trial June 19. 

The charges involve six different children, RCMP have said. No other details on the allegations have been released.

About a dozen parents and supporters of the six children were in Fredericton provincial court for McCormack's case on Tuesday morning and declined to speak to reporters.

McCormack was not in court for the appearance. Her lawyer, George Kalinowski, entered the pleas on her behalf. 

Four days were set aside for the trial.

Police have said McCormack was arrested in July and charged in November after a five-month investigation.

She operated Laugh & Learn Children's Centre in Harvey Station, but the daycare no longer has a licence to operate.

Officials with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development have refused to say when the child-care centre closed or if inspectors were concerned for children's safety.

According to a version of the web page archived by Google, Laugh & Learn Afterschool Program had 24 licensed spaces for children to attend preschool and after-school programs as of March 2016.