Two kindergarten teachers in the Ancona region of central Italy have been placed under house arrest on charges of mistreating and abandoning young children at the school where they worked.
The preliminary judge in Ancona issued the custody order following a request by prosecutors. Investigators allege the two women subjected children aged three to six to slaps, pinching, hair-pulling, and punishments such as forcing them to walk barefoot, removing their hats in the sun, and locking them in dark bathrooms. The educators are also accused of leaving children unattended in the school garden for several minutes.
Carabinieri from the Agugliano and Loreto stations, along with the Osimo company's operational unit, conducted the investigation after it opened in June 2026.