Maryland mother left children, 3 and 5, home alone while she went to work, police say

A mother is facing charges after she left two children, ages 3 and 5, home alone inside a Harford County apartment, police say. 

Aberdeen Police said they received a report Thursday morning about two young children left unattended inside the apartment on Northeast Road. 

"Maintenance personnel went into the apartment and found children unaccompanied by proper adult supervision," Aberdeen Police Cpt. William Reiber said. 

When officers arrived shortly after 11:30 a.m., they found two girls alone inside. Police said the children were found in unsafe and unsanitary living conditions and they appeared to be lethargic. 

They were taken to a hospital for further evaluation. 

Police said they located the children's mother, 23-year-old Kahliyah Gooding, at her work and charged her with child neglect and confinement.  

She allegedly told officers she left the girls home because she could not afford daycare. 

Police said Gooding was arrested on similar charges on May 6. 

"I can appreciate someone being in that situation, but we have to make adult decisions, and that involves creating a plan -- talking to family members, using social services, other resources that are available in the community -- and make those calls ahead of time," said Reiber. "In the event that you can't find adequate supervision, call the authorities and explain what's going on. Don't make the decision to leave your kids alone."

Denine Rafus, director of a program called Head Start, which offers free, high-quality early childhood education, says there are resources available, but they're scarce.

"So, particularly in the Harford County jurisdiction, right, we are the only Early Head Start program in that area, and we service 60 infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. Just 60," she said. "That's minuscule when you think about that large area, right? And so, we oftentimes have a very robust waitlist."

Similarly, according to the Maryland Department of Education Early Childhood Division, their scholarship program is on a freeze because, "demand exceeds available funding." Leaving low-income families in a tight spot.

Child Protective Services has now taken custody of the children in this case.