Daycare Provider Get 21 Years In Prison

[Country Kids]

I just saw a daycare provider in Bend, OR receives 21 years in prison. She was arrested last year and sentenced yesterday.

She repeatedly left children alone between the hours of 11-2 so she could go tanning, the gym, shopping etc. Her method of getting them to sleep-Melatonin. After a roommate called the police and they started watching the daycare and when she left one day they did a "raid".

One child was found with an overloaded diaper that a police officer immediately changed, another one was found with vomit on face, body, neck and was at risk of choking. Countless other things were also witnessed at that time.

One baby has baby shaken syndrome, another was burned while in her care, others injured, etc.

She would ask parents not to come to the childcare during the hours of 11-2 because that is when she would leave. She made a fake certificate to show she was license, lied about being a nurse, said she had cpr/first aid training, had countless hours of classes, the list goes on.

Parents said there is such a need for childcare in the area and they had no choice but to place their child with her. Many parents lost jobs after this, a few marriages/relationships broke up, several children need therapy, and most will have life long issues with sleep because of being given so much melatonin.

Hopefully this will be a wake up call for providers who are illegal, not offering quality care, etc.

[Unregistered]

I’m registered it’s just keeps logging me out every time I click a new page.
Anyways this is just sad. I think my mom old me about this lady she saw her on the iternet the other day.
I think about stories like this honestly when I have families that call me asking for prices and want the cheapest care in town and I’m priced like I am because I’m good at what I do but also because the quality of care and the license I have to pay for and the training and upkeep with clean it’s and supplies and stuff and think about the price range these people are looking for and hope to God they are goood providers because it’s scary. Honestly scary what you can accidentally put your kids into if your not careful.

[Josiegirl]

Do you have a link to the story? That is so sad. Did this woman expect her room mate to watch the kids? I guess I don't understand exactly what was going on. I hate that you hear about horribly scary situations like this but when do you hear about the excellent childcare facilities that are out there? Good news doesn't make the news.

[Josiegirl]

There was a long article in our local paper today about the need for quality child care in our state. Many providers have closed because of the new regs. and the cost plus amount of paperwork now needed to keep up. Then they went into talking about the STARS program and how it helps to identify quality programs that have 4-5 STARS. It takes a lot more than keeping up with paperwork to indicate quality child care. BUT I also believe parents have a huge responsibility with selecting care they're comfortable with, and using their gut feelings. Check references, check the state website, ask people for names of their providers, etc., etc. Don't just do cheap.

[flying_babyb]

we have youngstar and Many centers are not hiring anyone that dosent have an associates degree now due to the fact they need so many level 12 teachers to qualify for 5 stars. Ive been turned down for many jobs because of it! Ive worked at 5 stars, 2 stars ect. Funny thing? the 2-3 stars offer better care and a more homey feeling!

[Country Kids]

There was a long article in our local paper today about the need for quality child care in our state. Many providers have closed because of the new regs. and the cost plus amount of paperwork now needed to keep up. Then they went into talking about the STARS program and how it helps to identify quality programs that have 4-5 STARS. It takes a lot more than keeping up with paperwork to indicate quality child care. BUT I also believe parents have a huge responsibility with selecting care they're comfortable with, and using their gut feelings. Check references, check the state website, ask people for names of their providers, etc., etc. Don't just do cheap.

I don't have a link-sorry! I was just today saw an article where California is losing childcare's because of all the new laws, QRIS, expectations, etc. California it seems is starting to be in a crisis mode for home daycare.

[Country Kids]

we have youngstar and Many centers are not hiring anyone that dosent have an associates degree now due to the fact they need so many level 12 teachers to qualify for 5 stars. Ive been turned down for many jobs because of it! Ive worked at 5 stars, 2 stars ect. Funny thing? the 2-3 stars offer better care and a more homey feeling!

I am a three star but actually have people pick me over five stars because they say I have more to offer and it feels more like a home. One mom said-I don't care how many stars a person has. If I don't feel comfortable with them, or something seems off I'm not leaving my child there.

[Blackcat31]

Do you have a link to the story? That is so sad. Did this woman expect her room mate to watch the kids? I guess I don't understand exactly what was going on. I hate that you hear about horribly scary situations like this but when do you hear about the excellent childcare facilities that are out there? Good news doesn't make the news.

http://www.ktvz.com/news/day-of-reckoning-for-bend-day-care-owner-who-left-kids-alone/713998612

[Josiegirl]

Wow, she's the worst of the worst. I cannot imagine what all the parents are feeling. But this woman had a criminal history; how did she get away with so much, even before the child care crimes?? Those poor children. So glad she was found out, and jailed.

[Mike]

http://www.ktvz.com/news/day-of-reck...lone/713998612

Quite a range of comments there.

It is good to see these kind of people caught now and then. Like the saying goes, one bad apple can spoil a whole bunch. These cases do a double take though. It's good to see them get caught, but then others get a negative opinion on child care overall because of it too. Many parents don't realise these kind of people are a minority.

[MarinaVanessa]

Did this woman expect her room mate to watch the kids?

I read that it was her ex that turned her in

[amberrose3dg]

I’m registered it’s just keeps logging me out every time I click a new page.
Anyways this is just sad. I think my mom old me about this lady she saw her on the iternet the other day.
I think about stories like this honestly when I have families that call me asking for prices and want the cheapest care in town and I’m priced like I am because I’m good at what I do but also because the quality of care and the license I have to pay for and the training and upkeep with clean it’s and supplies and stuff and think about the price range these people are looking for and hope to God they are goood providers because it’s scary. Honestly scary what you can accidentally put your kids into if your not careful.

Yes! This made me actually cry. I think 21 years is a light sentence for what she did. I'm not sure with all of the abuse why no parents reported her or didn't seem like they did. I have a couple of kids in my daycare that came from a shady licensed daycare.I cringe when parents call and only interested in the rates or how much time I am closed that they have to pay for. This is why I think monsters like this get away with what they do. Desperate parents that either cannot find childcare or in their eyes cannot afford quality care.

[Blackcat31]

I have very mixed feelings about a lot of aspects of this case.

Some parents brought their children there for over a year.
Some close to a year. Many had suspicions but no one acted.

What the provider did was beyond acceptable.

However, I feel the children are the only victims in this situation. The parents are somewhat responsible as well.

The judge told the parents "You (as parents) find a way to blame yourself, even if it's not your fault,"

~ and while I do not feel in any way that this provider shouldn't be punished severely, I still think parents bear a portion of responsibility in this.

I know many will disagree or not see it that way, but I do and being in this profession for as long as I have, I am always astounded at the lengths providers will go when risking the lives of other people's children, I will forever be jaded when it comes to how the media and public portray parents when something like this happens.

A one time situation that made a parent feel "off" or unsure of the provider thus not returning makes sense...but sudden recalls of all the times a parent felt that same instinct or uncertainty but still left their child there for months/years.

I'm sorry but that just doesn't sit well with me and IMHO paints ALL parents as "innocent victims" when it comes to taking responsibility on all levels for their child. Which in turn means none of us should ever be fully trusted.

Shame on this provider for her horrendous acts of selfishness and carelessness....but shame on these parents for not listening to those instincts, blindly believing this provider and for not taking at least a sliver of responsibility in this.

Sad and tragic on so many levels. :confused:

[Pestle]

This is horrific.

I wish there were more responsible sifting of the litany of abuse, neglect, and resultant child behavioral issues in this article. Some of these items are typical of child behaviors, or at least not out of the range of normal. Additionally, children pass through periods of challenging behavior, and it's easy to misattribute those periods to a correlating change in providers, just because it's a new behavior. In this case the behaviors might be due to the care provider, but they might not, and I don't want parents or prosecutors thinking these are signs of abuse.

I'm not saying the abuse has no effect, but I'm saying children are complex creatures and it's a dangerous error to start looking at all their little quirks as a sign of an abuser present in their lives. It's a blurry line between responsible vigilance and paranoia. For instance:

• she said her child didn’t sleep through the night until after he turned a year old
  
• Another mother said her children would start crying the moment she turned down Neatherlin's street
  
• and their time in her home changed their behavior - her son trying to ransack the refrigerator and cupboards

I don't feel like those belong in a list of events like burns and Medevac flights. While the melatonin is obviously abusive, it's not right to spin it as though a baby who won't sleep through the night is medically damaged without making it clear that it's unusual for any infant to always sleep through the night--a good night's sleep is just not a reality for a large portion of families with kids under a year or two old. (Or, in my case, under six?) And raiding the pantry can be a sign of food insecurity, or of compulsive behaviors stemming from a developmental disorder like Autism, or just of being old enough to figure out the cabinets and really enjoying your new independence. If there's more evidence that this was an abuse-related behavior, that should be published, instead of just stating the behavior as if that's proof of abuse.

Also, way to destroy the integrity of every other care provider's nap time rules by using it as a cover for the fact that you aren't actually a day care provider, but just a compulsive shopper hoarding babies at your house:
Parents were told they could not pick up or drop off children between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. "because this was 'nap time' for the children," and it would disrupt all of them

[Mike]

I have very mixed feelings about a lot of aspects of this case.

Some parents brought their children there for over a year.
Some close to a year. Many had suspicions but no one acted.

What the provider did was beyond acceptable.

However, I feel the children are the only victims in this situation. The parents are somewhat responsible as well.

The judge told the parents "You (as parents) find a way to blame yourself, even if it's not your fault,"

~ and while I do not feel in any way that this provider shouldn't be punished severely, I still think parents bear a portion of responsibility in this.

I know many will disagree or not see it that way, but I do and being in this profession for as long as I have, I am always astounded at the lengths providers will go when risking the lives of other people's children, I will forever be jaded when it comes to how the media and public portray parents when something like this happens.

A one time situation that made a parent feel "off" or unsure of the provider thus not returning makes sense...but sudden recalls of all the times a parent felt that same instinct or uncertainty but still left their child there for months/years.

I'm sorry but that just doesn't sit well with me and IMHO paints ALL parents as "innocent victims" when it comes to taking responsibility on all levels for their child. Which in turn means none of us should ever be fully trusted.

Shame on this provider for her horrendous acts of selfishness and carelessness....but shame on these parents for not listening to those instincts, blindly believing this provider and for not taking at least a sliver of responsibility in this.

Sad and tragic on so many levels. :confused:

Don't worry about me disagreeing with you. Sometimes even parents should be punished for poor parenting.