Wave 3 news reported a shocking story detailing how daycare workers drug children with melatonin gummy bears.  The workers were routinely providing this medicine to 2-year olds just before nap time at a Chicago-area daycare facility.

So far, police have charged 3 workers with child endangerment and battery.  In one of the most underrated comments I’ve heard in a long time, the police chief called this “a horrible case of bad judgement.”

Bad judgement?  Are you kidding me?  Police found a bottle of 120 gummies with only 4 remaining.  As with most things, this obviously wasn’t an isolated incident.

I’m a mother and an attorney.  I understand what it means to entrust a daycare center with the safety and care of your children.  Stories such as this are one of the greatest fears any parent can have when it comes to our children.

Now, the above charges are criminal charges.  I focus my practice primarily on personal injury litigation.  Any time unauthorized medicine is administered to a child, the potential for catastrophic results including brain injury and death are present.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers reports that calls about melatonin have skyrocketed 114% nationwide since 2012, with 79% of the 24,000 calls in 2016 involving children. (WebMD Article)

Luckily for the parents of these children, no specific injuries have been reported.  While melatonin is generally safe for adults, reports have recommended that it not be given to children.

Authorities from the government agencies are also conducting an investigation into what actually happened. If you believe your child may have been placed at risk in a Kentucky child care facility, I have posted information on the steps to report a day care violation.

If you’d like to read about Kentucky child care center abuse, click this link to another post I uploaded.

Finally, you may need to involve an experienced child care lawyer to investigate what happened to your child.  It’s how we’ll begin the process of holding the employees, management and owners of the facility responsible.

Fortunately, it appears that the children in the above melatonin situation may be alright.  However, it’s easy to imagine that other children won’t be so lucky.  Again, as a mother and an attorney, I hope your family will never have to deal with such a situation.

Link to the story:  http://www.wave3.com/story/37653985/daycare-workers-allegedly-dosed-toddlers-to-calm-them-for-naps