Mother speaks out after daughter was drugged at Texas daycare. Here’s what to look out for
A Texas childcare center is closed and the owner has been arrested over allegations that she administered liquid Benadryl to toddlers in order to get them to go to sleep during nap time.
Sondra Mata, the owner of the center in Abilene, was arrested last week on the charge of endangering a child, a second-degree felony, according to public records.
The mother of one of the children filed a lawsuit against the now-shuttered Maw’s Child Care on Dec. 15.
Maribel Sandoval learned that her 2-year-old daughter had been given the medication when an employee came forward who witnessed it.
“It is troubling that my daughter was given medication that could have killed her,” Sandoval said in a statement. “The day care was supposed to watch her and keep her safe. This is a nightmare for any family with working parents.”
Mata, who was released from jail after posting $10,000 bail, did not return emailed requests for comment.
When initial allegations were reported by local TV stations, Mata released a statement saying she worked hard to provide “a childcare program that is affordable with an emphasis on providing a safe setting for social, emotional, and physical development of the children.”
In the first months after opening, parents found a far different experience, according to Russell Button, the attorney representing Sandoval.
Center had checkered history
The lawsuit, which seeks damages of more than $1 million, was filed by the Dallas-based Button Law Firm, which focuses on daycare abuse cases.
Button said the alleged violations, including the Benadryl incident at Maw’s childcare center, is “undoubtedly one of the worst daycare track records we’ve seen.”
Within three months of opening in 2021, the center was given 29 citations for failure to ensure adherence to minimum standards, according to the lawsuit, for violations ranging from employees working without the proper training, to staff not having proper medical paperwork on file and early educators allowing parents to ask for higher doses of medication than allowed on the label for children under 2.
On the website for Benadryl, an allergy medication which can also cause drowsiness, the dosage for children ages 2-5 for children’s Benadryl is listed as “Do not use unless directed by a doctor.” The medication is not for use on children under 2.
A wide range of side effects could come from improperly giving the medication to children, Button said, including death.
That has been the case in several cases across the country in recent decades, including in March 2013 in Waco when a 4-month-old died.
“It is downright dangerous of Maw’s Child Care to put the lives of children at risk because the director and workers were too lazy to do their job,” Button said. “We are thankful that Ms. Sandoval’s daughter did not have a fatal reaction to the unapproved medication.”
Instances like these underscore the importance of safety guidelines and the need for parents to keep an eye on their children when they are picking them up from daycare, Button said.
But providers and early education groups say that in the regulated childcare industry, cases like Mata’s are the exception.
Childcare providers take extra care with medication
Jerletha McDonald, the founder and CEO of Arlington DFW Child Care, said parents should search for providers on the Texas Department of Health and Human Services Child Care regulations website, where they can ensure proper licensure and read about any violations.
“Another thing parents can do is visit their childcare facility often and ask questions,” she said. “Ask what their ratios are, what curriculum do they offer and what activities do they do?”
Bethany Edwards, the director of the Early Learning Alliance in Tarrant County, said that high quality childcare providers take extra caution in administering medication, including the center where she sends her children.
“He has a lunchtime administration of multiple medications that they do, and they definitely err on the side of caution,” she said. “There’s been times where, you know, they haven’t been able to give it to him because it was a day expired, so they’ve had to call me up, and I’ve had to leave work and bring a bottle that wasn’t expired.”
As parents look for options in childcare, which are scarce in many parts of the state, Edwards said they should tour the facilities, talk to the director and get to know their policies in advance.
“Be educated on the policies and really push and require answers if something seems off,” she said.
Advocates, including Edwards, also say parents should trust their intuition. While children might say outrageous things sometimes, parents should still listen closely.
“If they ever said something about having some type of yummy juice or you know, something that just like sounded a little off — listen to your kids,” she said.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 12:22 PM.