LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A day care provider charged following the death of a 1-year old girl in her care pleaded guilty Monday to two criminal charges.
Debra Keyes pleaded guilty to reckless supervision by a child care provider, a felony, and operating a child care home without a license, a misdemeanor.
Mazie Valenta, 13 months, died on April 25 after she strangled to death when her shirt got caught in a broken piece of the crib.
Prosecutors and Mazie’s mother Stephanie alleged Keyes knew the crib was broken, but used it anyway.
Tippecanoe County prosecutor Pat Harrington said Keyes pled guilty “open to the court without the benefit of a plea agreement.”
She will be sentenced on March 22 at 3 pm.
Keyes faces up to three years in prison.
She was operating illegally when Mazie died, records show.
HOW TO CHECK A CHILD CARE FACILITY
- Plug in a provider's name to ChildCareFinder.IN.Govand look for complaints, inspection reports and any pending enforcement
- Use your eyes and ears when visiting. Are they following safe sleep? Is equipment working? Are children strapped into their high chairs?
- Drop by the child's day care unexpectedly during the day. What is seen at pickup and drop off may be very different than what's happening during the middle of the day
- Ask to see the provider's license or registration, which should be posted in a public area. If the provider is on probation, it will say so on the license, along with the reasons why.
- Ask to see a copy of the day care's discipline policy. Corporal punishment is not illegal in the state of Indiana
- Ask what their current child-to-staff ratio is. Experts say accidents are more likely to happen when staffers are watching a lot of children.
- Ask if the provider is part of the state's voluntary rating system, called Paths to Quality. The state said this helps guarantee they're meeting and/or exceeding licensing requirements regardless of type of day care
- If you use an unlicensed facility, know they do not have to submit to background checks, CPR training, safe sleep training and other requirements. Ask to see proof your provider has completed these.
- For more information, go to ChildCareIndiana.org
