Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced today a child care worker at the Rye YMCA was charged Friday with Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor, for allegedly handling a toddler in her care in an especially rough manner on multiple occasions.
Molly Swain, 34, of Rye, was arraigned on the charge Friday before Rye City Court Judge Taylor Piscionere, who released the defendant on her own recognizance, as the charge is not bail eligible. Judge Piscionere further provided a temporary order of protection to the victim.
The case was adjourned to May 5. DA Cacace said: “Westchester parents who drop their kids off at day care expect they will be nurtured by the professionals entrusted with their care. Instead, this defendant is alleged to have betrayed her duty as a care worker, subjecting the child victim in this case to unnecessary roughness. Toddlers cannot speak for themselves. It was only through diligent investigation and prosecutorial scrutiny that we were able to file this charge, and I would like to thank all of our investigatory partners for their work on this case.”
As alleged in a misdemeanor information, on April 1, the defendant, a child care worker at the Rye YMCA, lifted a 19-month-old toddler in her care up by the arms and dropped the toddler to the floor in such a manner that would likely be injurious due to the level of force applied.
On two other occasions, it is alleged that the defendant grabbed the same toddler by the back of their shirt collar and lifted them off the floor. This case was investigated by the City of Rye Police Department and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. The case is being prosecuted by Rye Branch Chief Cindy Adimari.
