Parents trusted this NJ daycare — prosecutors say toddlers were given melatonin

🚨A  daycare owner is charged with giving melatonin to 2 young children

🚨Investigators say employees confirmed the supplement was given during naptime

🚨Prosecutors say the owner told workers to hide the melatonin before police arrived.

DUNELLEN — The owner of a Middlesex County daycare was charged after the state was tipped off that at least two children were given melatonin to help them sleep during naptime without consulting with their parents.

Cheryl Ambicki, 57, was charged with giving 10 mg of the supplement to two children ages 2 and 4 at the Precious Gifts Care Center located at St. Francis Episcopal Church after the New Jersey Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit informed the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

Four employees at the center confirmed that Ambicki administered the melatonin and kept it in a drawer in her desk. Before administrators arrived at the center, she told workers to hide the melatonin. Ambicki was charged with endangering-abuse/neglect of a child by care.

Court documents do not list an attorney for Ambicki.

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What parents should know about melatonin and young children

The attorney for one of the children's families told ABC 7 Eyewitness News that they are "livid" about the situation.

Melatonin is a supplement that can be purchased over the counter to help with sleep conditions in both adults and children, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic recommends a doctor be consulted before a child is given melatonin.

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