Seattle-area daycare teacher fired after giving melatonin to infants

SEATTLE - Child Protective Services is investigating a daycare in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood after a teacher there admitted to giving infants melatonin.

Davida Sims is Executive Director SEED Early Childhood School at Temple Beth AM. Sims defends that this was an isolated incident and that as soon as leadership learned of the teacher’s actions, they were fired.

"We took swift action upon discovering that a teacher at our early education school administered melatonin to several infants in late 2023," said Sims. "The moment we became aware of this incident, we promptly terminated the teacher's employment, and self-reported to licensing and to CPS. We are fully cooperating with the authorities in their investigation and maintaining open communication with parents regarding the situation."

Washington State law makes it illegal for a childcare provider to give kids medication to sedate them, unless there’s a doctor’s note granting them permission. 

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The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families has started a licensing inspection case. This includes retraining staff about medication management.

Medical experts and health professionals across the country have been cautioning parents about the dangers of melatonin. A report from the CDC found, over the last decade, melatonin use in children went up more than 530%. 

At the same time, calls to poison control and serious hospitalizations, specifically for those under the age of five, also increased.