Massapequa Daycare Worker Indicted for Allegedly Abusing Toddlers on Camera

Surveillance cameras were rolling when Megan Marchena allegedly shoved a 17-month-old girl's face into the hard plastic edge of a cot at Tutor Time daycare in Lindenhurst, capturing what prosecutors describe as an escalating act of violence against one of the smallest children in her care.

Marchena, 27, of Massapequa, was arraigned March 6 in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on an indictment charging her with two counts of second-degree assault, one count of third-degree assault, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She pleaded not guilty before State Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei, who set bail at $5,000 cash, $10,000 bond, or $50,000 partially secured bond.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, the most serious alleged incident occurred on February 24, 2025, during naptime at Tutor Time, where Marchena was primarily responsible for teaching children under the age of two. Prosecutors say she repeatedly tried to force the 17-month-old to sleep by pushing her face-first into her cot, doing so several times with increasing intensity before driving the child's face into the cot's hard plastic edge. The girl's teeth cut through the skin of her mouth. She was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, where she needed stitches.

Marchena was arrested four days later, on February 28, 2025.

After her arrest, Suffolk County police received numerous calls from parents, daycare staff members, and people connected to Marchena's former places of employment alleging inappropriate behavior with other children. One of those reports led to additional criminal charges. Investigators determined that on January 10, 2025, also during naptime, Marchena allegedly picked up an 18-month-old boy by his torso with his head and legs dangling after he would not stay in bed, carried him to his cot, and dropped him from standing height.

"It is deeply unsettling that children so small and innocent were allegedly harmed by this defendant," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Marchena, a Plainedge High School graduate who studied early childhood education at SUNY Schenectady County Community College, has adamantly denied the allegations through her attorney. If convicted on the top count, she faces up to seven years in prison. She was due back in court March 31.

Authorities are asking 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.