Massapequa childcare worker indicted, accused of chilling pattern of abuse

A Massapequa daycare worker accused of abusing toddlers in her care has now been indicted, with prosecutors alleging a disturbing pattern of behavior toward very young children at a Lindenhurst childcare center.

Megan Marchena, 27, pleaded not guilty Friday when she was arraigned in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on an indictment that charges her with multiple counts of assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The charges stem from her time last winter as a teacher at Tutor Time in Lindenhurst.

Marchena faces two counts of second-degree assault, one count of third-degree assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She is accused of intentionally injuring a 17-month-old girl and endangering an 18-month-old boy while looking after kids under the age of two at naptime.

Prosecutors allege that on Feb. 24, 2025, Marchena repeatedly tried to force a 17-month-old girl to go to sleep by pushing the child face-first into her cot. The child’s mouth struck the hard plastic edge of the cot, causing her teeth to cut through the skin inside her mouth.

The toddler, who needed stitches to close the wound, was treated at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, authorities said.

Investigators said the incident was captured by video surveillance cameras. After Marchena’s arrest days later, police received calls from parents and daycare staff reporting additional alleged incidents involving other children.

Authorities said that on Jan. 10, 2025, Marchena picked up an 18-month-old boy — by his torso, with his head and legs dangling — and dropped him onto his cot from a standing height during naptime.

“This indictment alleges a profound betrayal of trust by someone who was supposed to protect and nurture these young children,” Suffolk District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

“Parents have the right to expect that their children will be safe in a classroom, and it is deeply unsettling that children so small and innocent were allegedly harmed by this defendant,” he added.

Marchena, a Plainedge High School graduate who studied early childhood education at SUNY Schenectady County Community College, had previously pleaded not guilty to charges in Suffolk District Court connected to the February incident and has adamantly denied the allegations through her attorney.

At Friday’s arraignment before State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei, the judge ordered Marchena held on $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond or $50,000 partially secured bond while the case proceeds. If convicted on the top count, she faces up to seven years in prison.

Marchena is due back in court March 31.

Authorities asked that anyone who believes their child may have been a victim to contact the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victims Section at 631.852.6184.

_{Top: Megan Marchena, 27, of Massapequa (Facebook/Megan Marchena) and Tutor Time in Lindenhurst (Google Maps Street View).}

Prior coverage

Lindenhurst daycare center worker arrested for assaulting infant