An Illinois daycare worker was arrested after allegedly giving chewable laxatives to toddlers ages 2 and under so they would be sent home early because she felt overwhelmed.

Yizel J. Juarez, 23, of Sycamore, turned herself in on Feb. 5 after police identified her as the alleged daycare worker at The Learning Experience daycare in St. Charles, Illinois, who was administering chewable laxatives to children, CBS News reports. Juarez, who has since been fired from the daycare, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of attempted aggravated battery or causing bodily harm to victims under the age of 13 and three counts of endangering the life or health of a child.

Police responded to the daycare on Feb. 3 after multiple parents reported that their children had been given chewable laxatives. Investigators later confirmed that Juarez, who studied early childhood education at Northern Illinois University, administered the laxatives to three children, all aged 2 or younger.

The parents of one affected child said they were devastated, explaining they had spent weeks trying to understand why their child was frequently sick with diarrhea.

“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,” the child’s mother, who spoke anonymously, said. “Who knows what the long-term effects could be on this?”

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The 17-month-old had been enrolled at The Learning Experience since the summer of 2025, around when Juarez was hired. The child’s mother said her toddler was sent home for diarrhea at least three times over the past two months. Despite multiple doctor visits and a formula change, the symptoms persisted, leaving the family alarmed and confused.

“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.

The child’s mother said she only learned the truth after the daycare director informed her on Feb. 2 that Juarez had been fired for allegedly giving children laxatives and telling them it was candy, claiming she was “overwhelmed” by the job.

“It’s disgusting. Get another job then,” the mother said.

Juarez was released from custody and given a future court date.

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