Child care license suspended for Osage County daycare; business can appeal suspension

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Childhood (OOC), has suspended the child care license of a Linn daycare because the staff administered unknown medications to children to calm them at naptime.

DESE investigated a complaint on March 24 that staff at Busy Bee Learning Academy, in Linn, and owner Tonya Newbound was giving children gummies at naptime for the children that can chew them and giving powder in the milk to children that can’t chew.

Investigators say Newbound told them the gummies are herbal supplements to help kids sleep.

In the letter presented to Newbound:

On March 24, a parent came into the pharmacy with her child who was about 4-years-old. The parent stated that their child informed them that they have to take a gummy bear every day at daycare and if they don't take a nap, they get powder on their tongue and then if they still don't nap, they have to sit in the closet until naptime is over. The parent stated that the daycare was Busy Bee Learning Academy in Linn, Missouri. The parent had the gummy and showed it to her as well as to Pharmacist Kevin Budenhoeffer, who told the parent that the gummy was a 5 milligram melatonin gummy.

Busy Bee Learning Academy can appeal the suspension by April 11. DESE told ABC 17 News on Wednesday that they have yet to receive an appeal at this moment in time.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Busy Bee Learning Academy who declined to comment.

The Osage County Sheriff Mike Bonham told ABC 17 News "Due to this being an active investigation we have nothing that we can comment on, but we take this very seriously because these are our children of our county."