Day care workers charged with drugging tots

I found this story on MSNBC News.

Pamela Hartley, 56 years old, and Donna Scott, 41 years old, were charged for giving children candy that they had slipped dietary pills into. A co-worker said Hartley and Scott have melatonin to the children. A prosecutor said, “Two former Ohio day care workers have been charged with a misdemeanor for slipping an over-the-counter dietary supplement into candy and giving it to their charges to help them sleep at nap time.” These women have been charged with 3 counts of child endangering and 3 counts of misrepresentation by childcare provider, and if convicted could do up to 18 months in jail, said Joseph Deters.

My first reaction to this is how horrible it is for the kids, the parents, and the daycare involved in this. This scares every mother out there who has a child in daycare or are thinking about daycare for their child.

This is a very dangerous situation that every mother fears. I know I have been very blessed to be able to stay home with my son. Although he is only 1 years old, I hate the thought of him even being in a daycare because of the chance I may miss something he does for the first time. He’s been walking full time now for about a month or so, so there wouldn’t be much I would miss, but I also don’t want someone else teaching him the things he needs to know. I’m his mother and I want to teach him everything and be there for him when he gets hurt and so on. Plus I wouldn’t know where to start on handling the separation anxiety my son and I would both have; but here are some tips. Although in this situation a mother brings her child to a daycare with all the same thoughts and fears as I would have and only to be proved right and have all her fears come true. I don’t know what I would do if I found out someone was drugging my child while I was at work. That would make it so hard for me to trust anyone ever again, especially a daycare. As for that daycare, I’m sure those two idiots who drugged these kids ruined that daycare for their customers. I wonder how many parents pulled their child or children out of it. I bet this caused this business to lose so much business. I don’t know how these women could drug kids and be ok with it. If they don’t like kids then find another job, but to drug them to make them sleep longer is a horrible thing. The melatonin drug they were using isn’t supposed to be used for anyone under the age of 20, so what makes them think little kids would be ok?

I hope daycares are more cautious about things like this and watch who they hire and how their employees are handling kids. Maybe they should put video cameras in their daycares to protect the safety of the children. I hope the kids end up alright after this and have nothing wrong with them, and I hope the parents can learn to trust again. Good luck though.