Daycare worker accused of giving children laxatives in St. Charles, Illinois
A west suburban daycare worker is accused of giving laxatives to toddlers and telling the children it was candy.
Yizel J. Juarez, 23, of Sycamore, is charged with three misdemeanor counts of attempted aggravated battery and three counts of misdemeanor child endangerment.
She was fired from The Learning Experience daycare in St. Charles, Illinois.
Police said, just before 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, officers were notified by multiple parents at the daycare that their children were given a chewable laxative.
Investigators confirmed Juarez had given laxatives to three children – each of whom is 2 years old or younger.
Juarez, who studied early childhood education at Northern Illinois University, turned herself in to police.
The parents of one of the children who was given laxatives said they're devastated. They were trying to figure out for many weeks why their child was always sick.
"My child is still suffering from constipation, which the doctor said was going to be a side effect of the laxatives, of coming off the laxatives," said the child's mother, who asked to remain anonymous. "Who knows what the long-term effects could be on this?"
She said her 17-month-old child was in the care of The Learning Experience since the summer of 2025, around the same time Juarez was hired.
The mother said her toddler was sent home from daycare for diarrhea at least three times over the past two months. After doctor visits, and switching the child's formula, nothing worked.
"We thought it could have been a virus, and that was negative, but he was not diagnosed with any stomach bug or anything either," she said.
On Monday, the mother said she learned the unimaginable.
"We found out from the director that she had fired her employee, because she allegedly was giving them these laxatives and saying that it was candy … so that they could be sent home, because she was overwhelmed," she said. "It's disgusting. Get another job then."
The child's father said the daycare's policy is that a sick child must be sent home and remain home for 24 hours.
"I have no words. It's just thinking that your kid is going to be safe in the daycare, and you come and find surprises like this. It's sad. It's devastating, you know?" he said.
Juarez was given an upcoming court date and released from custody. St. Charles Police want anyone with information about the incident to contact them at 630-377-4435.
CBS News Chicago has reached out to The Learning Experience for comment.