The facility’s management sent a message to parents on Saturday, telling them that a staff member had added melatonin to certain drinks made by the children in their group.
The daycare center had indicated that it had lodged a complaint with the Trois-Rivières police, who responded that while this action violated the Ministère de la Famille’s rules on daycare centers, there was no ground for criminal prosecution. The center claims that the employee in question no longer works for the organization.
On Tuesday morning, many parents who met at the site said they were very concerned about the situation. It was the first time they had returned to the daycare since these incidents became known.
The director of the P’tits samouraïs daycare center, Stéphanie Beaudry, agreed to give an interview to Radio-Canada for the first time since the message was sent to the parents.
She would like to comfort the parents of the 130 children in her day care center. She says she acted quickly when the allegations became known to her. Stéphanie Beaudry declined to comment further as an investigation is ongoing.
The commune of Saint-Barnabé concerned
The educator concerned by the alleged facts works for the municipality of Saint-Barnabé in the leisure department.
According to our sources, the municipality has launched an investigation.
There will be a meeting with the municipal councils on Tuesday evening to determine the next steps.
Family Minister Suzanne Roy said on Saturday there would be an inquiry into the situation and said necessary action would be taken as a result.
With information from Charles-Antoine Boulanger