NY bill would train day care inspectors to find drugs after Bronx child's 2023 death

New York lawmakers have sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a bill that would require government workers inspecting day care centers and other child care programs to be trained to detect potentially fatal drugs. The measure comes nearly two years after a 22-month-old boy died of fentanyl poisoning at a home day care in the Bronx.

“If there’s training to be had, this is another population that should have it — because it’s a small amount of time for what could be a big gain,” said state Assemblymember Amy Paulin, a Westchester Democrat who cosponsored the bill with state Sen. Gustavo Rivera of the Bronx, where the boy’s death occurred in Kingsbridge.

It passed both chambers of the Legislature two weeks ago. Hochul's office said she's reviewing the legislation and didn't comment on whether she expects to sign it.

The bill would require inspectors from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the state Office of Children and Family Services and  the city Department of Social Services to receive additional training to identify signs of illicit drug storage or activity — building on their existing training in child abuse prevention, safety protocols and spotting other red flags.

Grei Mendez, who ran a day care center out of her Kingsbridge apartment, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in March for what federal prosecutors said was her role in a narcotics operation alongside her husband and other conspirators.

Authorities said she helped stamp and pack glassines and advised her husband’s business decisions. She, her husband and another alleged co-conspirator all entered guilty pleas, but a fourth defendant pleaded not guilty.

Authorities say four children, including 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici, suffered opioid intoxication after they ingested fentanyl hidden at the day care. The facility had passed a surprise inspection just days before the poisonings and inspectors found no violations, but investigators later found fentanyl hidden throughout the day care, including under a trap door in the floor.

In court documents, authorities say they found Mendez and her co-conspirators used the same bowls, pans and sponges to package the drugs and prepare food for the day care.

Paulin said it was not the only time New York day cares have been used as fronts for trafficking contraband, shielded by the presence of children. She pointed to a 2023 case where investigators say they found illegal 3D-printed ghost guns at a Harlem day care. A decade earlier, authorities said another Bronx day care was used as a center for a drug trafficking operation.

There are thousands of home-based day cares citywide and the local health department inspects them on the state’s behalf. That number may grow as New York City moves toward expanding access to child care.

“Drugs and guns are just two things that we know are lethal, and there’s no going back on that," Paulin said. "So if the inspector is better prepared to understand what that looks like, smells like, touches like — what would look suspicious — then your children are being better protected."