Middlesex Daycare Owner Gave Children Sleep Supplement Without Parents' Consent, Prosecutor Says

DUNELLEN, NJ — A Dunellen daycare owner has been arrested and charged after giving melatonin to two young children without their parents' consent, Middlesex County Prosecutor Linda Estremera said Tuesday.

Cheryl Ambicki, 57, of Middlesex, owns Precious Gifts Daycare in Dunellen. On July 10, the Dunellen Police Department received a report that Ambicki had been administering melatonin to two children, ages 2 and 4, without parental consent.

An investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office and the Dunellen Police Department confirmed that Ambicki had administered melatonin to the two children, as initially reported to investigators.

Ambicki was arrested without incident on July 10, and charged with two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

The investigation is active and continuing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Sergeant Nicholas Goldman of the Dunellen Police Department at 732-968-3000, extension 245, or Detective Christopher VanEerde of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at 732-745-8382.

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