Global News has learned that a woman charged with child abandonment had been fired from at least one provincial dayhome agency.
Parkland Family Day Home Agency said Melissa Suley was let go after less than a month in October 2012 after a “critical incident,” where she reportedly administered an antihistamine to a child without parental consent.
The parents told Global News their child was given Benadryl after he developed a severe diaper rash.
The agency said Suley had previously been employed by at least two other agencies in the Edmonton area.
READ MORE: Edmonton dayhome operator charged with child abandonment
Edmonton police confirmed Tuesday that Suley, 39, was charged on Nov. 30 with five counts of abandoning a child. Police have not released details about what led to the charges, but a group of parents who sent their children to the private, unlicensed dayhome claim their kids were left alone in a locked basement.
“I couldn’t believe that anyone in their right mind could do that to a child, let alone five,” said Gordon Patzalek, whose two children were in Suley’s care.
The families said Suley was referred to them by friends, family and coworkers, and they did their best to research the dayhome operator.
“We asked for a criminal record check… asked if she was licensed,” Patzalek said. “She supposedly had papers. We saw papers.”
“My friend highly recommended her,” said Courtney Provencal, another parent whose kids were in Suley’s care at the time. “When we went to meet her she was excellent. She was very loving and warm and kind.”
But, within the group of parents, each one said there were red flags.
“All of the little things that just seemed off at the time, that we brushed off, came to light as this was a red flag that we kind of ignored,” Patzalek said.
The chair of Early Childhood Educators of Alberta, Nicki Dublenko, said parents shouldn’t ignore such concerns.
“Families need to know if they have that feeling in their gut, ask questions,” Dublenko said. “They should be welcomed into the home at any time to assess the environment.”
The childcare expert strongly encourages families to seek out care for their children that is covered under provincial rules. Dayhomes are covered under the Alberta Human Services ministry, and must work with an agency, which is responsible for ensuring they comply with Family Day Home Standards.
People who offer child care out of their homes, that have not been approved to operate under the provincial family dayhome category, are considered private babysitters and aren’t monitored by the government.
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