Melissa Calusinski, 25, was convicted of first-degree murder in November. Prosecutors say she slammed 16-month old Benjamin Kingan's head to the ground at Minee Subee Daycare in Lincolnshire in 2009.
Calusinski plans to appeal.
"My daughter was coerced into a confession, she didn't do this crime. She told the judge that we are going to fight it and that is exactly what we're gonna do," Paul Calusinski said.
The toddler's mother, Amy Kingan, said Calusinski's actions ruined many aspects of her family's lives and they will never recover.
