Police charged a worker at a West Scranton day care center Friday with assaulting a 1-year-old, just days after charging the day care’s co-owners with not reporting the abuse.
Vanessa Molina-Ramos, 48, of Taylor, hit the boy on the bottom, pulled his hair and threw him on the floor at Learn and Grow Early Childhood Center, 1228 St. Ann’s St., police charge. She faces a felony count of endangering the welfare of a child and a misdemeanor count of simple assault.
Erin Pallo and Amy Ware, co-owners of the center, face felony charges of failing to report the abuse after it was brought to their attention by an employee, according to a criminal complaint. Police said Pallo and Ware assured the employee they would contact the state, but didn’t.
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The employee told police day care staff were instructed not to speak during state inspections and weren’t adequately trained to make reports to ChildLine, although each was a mandated reporter.
On Oct. 3, state officials shut down the center and sent a letter to parents indicating they would need to make other arrangements for child care.
Molina-Ramos acknowledged some of the allegations made against her during interviews, police said.
According to the complaint:
On Sept. 18, Scranton police Detective Jill Foley went to the center to investigate a report that Molina-Ramos slapped and pulled a child’s hair April 30.
Foley asked Ware, of Factoryville, and Pallo, of Clarks Summit, if they knew about the incident and they said no. Foley asked how staff handles incidents that must be reported to ChildLine.
The owners said everyone working there is a mandated reporter and they must notify the owners/directors, who will have the staff member make the report.
Staff member Jennifer Purdy told police April 30 she was working in the infant room with four others — Vanessa Molina-Ramos, Macy Nicholson and two other employees.
Around 11 a.m., Purdy was feeding a baby in a highchair and Molina-Ramos was in a rocking chair holding a 1-year-old boy, who was crying hysterically. Molina-Ramos was yelling in Spanish mixed with English. Purdy heard a slap come from where Molina-Ramos was sitting and saw her pull the boy’s hair.
Purdy immediately looked at Nicholson and said they must report this. When they looked back at the baby, he was screaming and now on the floor. Purdy picked up the baby and attempted to calm him down.
During breaks, Purdy and Nicholson each told Ware and Pallo about the incident. Purdy said Ware told her “she watched it on the cameras and what she witnessed was disgusting.”
Molina-Ramos was sent home early that day.
Purdy said staffers were told to alert the directors about any abuse, and they would handle it. Purdy never reported any incident to ChildLine and had not been trained to do so by the directors.
She said Ware told her in text messages the next day the incident had been reported to the state.
Purdy told police that, had she known it wasn’t reported, she would have made the report herself.
Ware followed up with a text to Purdy which read: “Please, please intervene right away if U see anyone becoming rough with a child just take the baby away. I know you consoled him yesterday after the fact. But she tormented him for seven minutes.”
Nicholson told police she witnessed Molina-Ramos hit the baby three times on the bottom, pull his hair and then toss him on the ground.
Both owners also told Nicholson they would take care of it, but Molina-Ramos was back the next day.
Nicholson said the owners told staff to report all incidents to them, and they received some online training about mandated reporters, but she never reported anything to ChildLine and did not know how to do so.
During the investigation, staff members said the day care center did not comply with state regulations regarding ratio of children to employees. The administrators routinely pull staff form one room to another in an attempt to create ratios within the mandated guidelines, which would leave other rooms out of regulation.
Originally Published: October 10, 2025 at 12:02 PM EDT