Sarah Jordan, left, and Kierra Spriggs. Photo: Prince William County Police

A judge sentenced a former daycare worker to nearly three years in prison for her role in what prosecutors called a "baby fight club".

Kierra Spriggs, 26, had been previously convicted by a jury on charges of abusing two-year-olds at the Minnieland Academy, in Woodbridge, Virginia. She and another Minnieland worker - Sarah Jordan, 31 - engaged in several abusive acts, including encouraging the kids to fight each other, feeding them Flamin' Hot Cheetos, stepping on their toes, and spraying them full force with a water hose.

The abuse happened in 2013, and authorities said the exact motive remains murky. But officials with a child protective services agency have implied that it was for their own entertainment.

Other workers at the centre testified that they saw some of the abuse, and one said she told management of the abuse months ago. But when no actions were taken, she alerted a child protective services agency.

​At a hearing on Thursday, Judge Carroll Weimer issued the sentencing for Spriggs. Jordan has already been convicted and sentenced to roughly two years in prison.

Some of the parents testified in court that their children stopped talking, became closed off and showed aggressive behaviour. Other children were said to be nervous about going into their assigned classroom. Prosecutors also said not enough time had passed to know the full impact of the abuse on the kids.

At least a dozen former families of the Minnieland day care have filed civil lawsuits that seek a collective total of $12 million in damages.

Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert said Friday the abuse and the way it was handled were "very concerning to the parents of the children, most of whom didn't know what was going on."

"When it came to light, it was very upsetting to anybody when small children like that are subject to cruelty."

Washington Post