The families of two young boys claim their pre-school age children were locked in closets and beaten with a stick at a Methuen day care center, according to a civil lawsuit filed this week in Essex Superior Court.A 4-year-old boy who attended the Children’s Center of the Faith United Methodist Church day care from March to August 2022 said as a form of punishment, he was frequently locked in a dark supply closet.The child said he was also frequently beaten with a stick known as a “teacher’s stick” and was not allowed to eat food in his lunchbox that was packed by his mother, the lawsuit alleges."(The child) was told by employees of The Children's Center that there were rats and monsters in the supply closet to scare the children when they were being 'bad kids,'" the lawsuit states.Employees of the day care were also accused of retraining the boy, "grabbing him until his arms and legs could not move. (The boy) indicated that he could not breathe when this was being done to him." The family of a 3-year-old boy who attended the daycare from October 2021 to August 2022 also said he was locked in a dark closet and told “monsters” were inside, according to court paperwork. His family also alleges he was beaten with a “teacher’s stick.”The child's mother also alleges her son suffered an injury to his face and was denied a meeting with day care staff. Both families have filed complaints with the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Early Education and Care.The civil lawsuit seeks $15 million in damages from defendants, which include the daycare, Mark Siegel, Sandra Lumb, William Callahan, Jennifer Pacard, Leticia Cordero, Iris Cordero, Yarlene Betances, Jane Doe and Unexie Santos.