Witnesses say the counselor intentionally raised her hand and struck the child.
41-year-old Desiree Gardine appeared in Collier County court Friday on a child abuse charge. Naples Police arrested her at the River Park Community Center where she was a camp counselor.
According to police reports, Gardine struck the child in the face, causing him to bleed.
"We're disturbed by what happened yesterday (Thursday), our staff is upset. We know we have an excellent program and this is just one of the very rare occurrences, that we regret," said Dana Souza, the city's Community Services Director.
Gardine has been fired, and bonded out of jail Friday night.
