Some parents keep children home, others express concern as kids return to Lindenhurst day care where teacher was arrested

Megan Marchena, 26, pleaded not guilty to assault and endangering the welfare of a child charges over the weekend.

Jonathan Gordon

Mar 3, 2025, 10:18 AM

Updated 55 min ago

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Parents dropped their young children back off at Tutor Time in Lindenhurst this morning for the first time since one of the center's employees was charged in the assault of an 18-month-old girl.
"My wife and I discussed it last night, and we were a little worried," Lindenhurst parent Teshawn Christie said.
Megan Marchena, 26, pleaded not guilty over the weekend to assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to court records.
In a statement to News 12, her attorney Chase Brown said Marchena denies the accusations:

"My client is, at this point, is given every presumption of innocence. There is certainly a lot more to what happened here than what the DA's office has portrayed thus far. So, we look forward to getting all of our discovery that we are entitled to and putting forward a defense that will ultimately clear Megan of these allegations, cause that is all they are at this point."

"If it's a cultural problem, that doesn't give me a lot of hope - even if my kid's teachers are excellent," Lindenhurst parent Cristian Mendoza said.
Lindenhurst parent Cristian Mendoza kept his 3-year-old son home for the day and is looking for other day cares in the area.
"My wife took off today, and she’s going on five different day care tours. But everywhere we call up, within the immediate 20 minutes already has a waiting list of other parents from Tutor Time," he said.
Suffolk County police said Marchena pushed an infant's face into a cot last Monday, Feb. 24 at the facility on E Sunrise Highway.
The child was taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip where she received stitches.
Child Protective Services was notified last Friday, Feb. 28, which led Suffolk County police to launch a criminal investigation.
It's unclear why there was a multiday gap between the alleged incident and when CPS got involved.
Over the weekend, Tutor Time officials sent a letter to parents:

"We are working with authorities...investigating a parent concern involving inappropriate redirection of a child during naptime. All of our staff members are expected to uphold our high standards of care, and we do not tolerate any deviation from these standards."

Officials said both Marchena and the school director were placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
"I was a little shocked because I didn't think anything like this went down," Lindenhurst parent Brian Scrage said.
A judge set Marchena's bail at $5,000. She is due back in court on Thursday, according to court records.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact the Special Victims Section at 631-852-6167.