OKEECHOBEE – Tender Care Daycare and Preschool was vandalized over the weekend. Three boys who appear to be young, white teens were seen on surveillance video climbing over the fence and playing on the equipment.

On Monday morning, Director Lindsay Yates arrived to discover the damage. Not only was the playground vandalized, but the shed was broken in to. “They flipped over a bunch of our metal playground equipment and tore down our sunshade,” said Yates.

In the storage shed, the daycare keeps smaller toys and seasonal items such as Christmas ornaments. The boys threw those all over the shed and stole some of the toys.

“It wouldn’t be that big of a deal if someone wanted to play on the swings, but why damage things? That’s what I don’t understand," Yates said.

The gates were all standing open this morning when Yates arrived. “We have to keep them locked,” she explained. The locks are the type meant to keep young children from opening the gates. They are not padlocked. The staff noticed on Friday morning that a gate was left open but just assumed the T-ball team that practices there left it open by accident. They just closed it and went on with their day.

Yates posted several pictures on Facebook in the hope someone would recognize the boys.

If you recognize either of the two boys or know who they are, please contact Okeechobee City Police Officer Brandon Greismer at 863-763-2626.

Tender Care is locally owned and operated by Kevin and Deborah Schooley and has been for the past 30 years. Tender Care is a Gold Seal Accredited center and is located at 604 S.W. Fifth Street.