What in the world is going on in our child daycare centers? Within two weeks we have alarming reports about irregularities that endanger the lives of the children, and in two incidents there were three child fatalities.
It was most disheartening to learn about the daycare center in the Bronx where 1-year-old Nicholas Dominici died as a result of coming into contact with fentanyl. Three other children were hospitalized after being exposed to the poisonous substance. In a follow-up investigation of the center, the police discovered a trap door in the floor of the facility where a large quantity of fentanyl and other narcotics, as well as drug paraphernalia, was concealed. The operator of the center deleted more than 20,000 text messages.
At yet another childcare center in East Harlem, police recovered several 3D-printed firearms, along with the tools for producing the homemade weapons, known as “ghost guns.” The son of the center’s owner was apparently unaware of the illegal activity.
No less disconcerting but apparently a case of negligence, two children drowned and another was hospitalized after falling into a pool at a daycare center in San Jose, California.
And if daycare centers and their owners aren’t facing a number of day-to-day problems, many are on the brink of closing, according to the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank based here in New York. In short, more than 70,000 childcare centers could close because of lost funding. And those that remain open and functioning need additional funds, particularly to safeguard children.
There appears to be a crying need for more oversight at the facilities, and the potential loss of funding makes the existing conditions all the more perilous.
If this problem continues to spread unchecked, then our children will be dropped off into veritable dens of danger and possible death.
