New state inspection finds 10 more violations at Lindenhurst day care where worker was arrested last week

The report was filed on Feb. 28, the same day News 12 first reported that police were at Tutor Time in Lindenhurst conducting an investigation. An employee was arrested the next day.

Jonathan Gordon

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Mar 6, 2025, 10:27 AM

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Updated 2 hr ago

Details of a new inspection done by the New York Office of Children and Family Services revealed 10 more violations found at a Suffolk County day care where an employee was arrested for allegedly abusing a child in her care last week.

The report was filed last Friday, Feb. 28, the same day News 12 first reported Suffolk County police were at Tutor Time in Lindenhurst conducting an investigation.

The state inspection substantiated that the following issues were not corrected:

Children unable to sleep during nap time shall not be confined to a sleeping surface (cot, crib, etc) but instead must be offered a supervised place for quiet play.
Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a teacher's range of vision and that the teacher be near enough to respond when redirection or intervention strategies are needed. Competent supervision must take into account the child's age emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
The use of any type of personal electronic media device for social or entertainment purposes, including but not limited to, listening to music on headphones, playing screen games, surfing the internet, sending e-mails, or making personal calls while supervising children is prohibited. The use of mobile phones is permitted as necessary to promote the children's safety and ensuring the orderly operation of the program.
The program must establish and follow a written plan for behavior management that is acceptable to the office. This plan must include how the staff will approach challenging behaviors, help children solve problems and encourage acceptable behaviors.
The staff must use acceptable techniques and approaches to help children solve problems.
Corporal punishment is prohibited. For the purposes of this Subpart, the term corporal punishment means punishment inflicted directly on the body including, but not limited to, physical restraint, spanking, biting, shaking, slapping, twisting or squeezing; demanding excessive physical exercise, prolonged lack of movement or motion, or strenuous or bizarre postures; and compelling a child to eat or have in the child's mouth soap, foods, hot spices or irritants or the like.
In accordance with the provisions of Sections 413 and 415 of the Social Services Law, child care center staff must immediately report any suspected incidents of child abuse or maltreatment concerning a child receiving child care to the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment, or cause such a report to be made when such staff have reasonable cause to suspect that a child coming before them in their capacity as child care center workers is an abused or maltreated child.
Staff and volunteers must be mature, of good character and possess suitable personal qualifications.
The staff and volunteers must be in good health and be of good character and habits.
The program must immediately notify the parent and Office upon learning of the following events involving a child that occurred while the child was in care at the program or was being transported by the program: serious incident.

News 12 has reached out to both Tutor Time and the state department that conducted the inspection for comment but hasn't heard back from either at this time.

This new information comes one day after a second parent came forward with allegations of abuse against a caregiver at the facility.

The woman, who asked us to conceal her identity, claims Megan Marchena, 26, allegedly threw her son into his cot when he got up during a nap.

"She grabbed him when he ran off his cot, carried him back and literally threw him down," she said.

The woman said she saw the incident happen on Tutor Time's live stream cameras that parents can access during the day.

"I called Suffolk police, I called CPS," she said. "He no longer goes there anymore. I just don't feel safe."

Marchena has not been charged in connection to these new allegations.

Over the weekend, Marchena pleaded not guilty to assault and endangering the welfare of a child in connection to the allegations that she pushed an 18-month-old girl's face into a cot last Monday. Police said the child was taken to the hospital for stitches.

Marchena's attorney, Chase Brown, has not yet responded to News 12's request for comment on the new allegations ahead of today's court appearance.

In response to these new allegations, a spokesperson for Tutor Time told News 12: “We value the partnership we have with our families and take all concerns brought to us very seriously. Tutor Time has an open-door policy and welcomes parent feedback at any time. Our district manager has been onsite working with families directly. Any additional concerns brought to us are being thoroughly reviewed, and we will continue to take appropriate action as warranted.”

As News 12 previously reported, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services issued multiple violations to Tutor Time in Lindenhurst.

Seven violations were found during inspections from October 2022 to July 2024, ranging from staff not using acceptable techniques for problem-solving to walls having chipped paint.

Two claims were substantiated, two unsubstantiated, two were found during unannounced visits and one during a renewal application.

Marchena is scheduled to be in First District Court in Central Islip at 9 a.m.