An Auckland early childhood teacher has pleaded not guilty to assaulting nine preschoolers, including washing a child's mouth out with soap, cellotaping another's mouth shut and smacking.
The woman, who has been granted interim name suppression, appeared in the Auckland District Court today on 10 charges of assault.
She was also charged with forcing food into children's mouths, one of whom was only 1-year-old.
All the children were aged five or younger.
The children were in her care and the offending allegedly occurred between October 2011 and May this year.