RYE – A childcare worker at the Rye YMCA was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after allegedly handling a toddler roughly on multiple occasions, Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced.

Molly Swain, 34, of Rye, was arraigned Friday in Rye City Court on a class A misdemeanor. Judge Taylor Piscionere released her on her own recognizance and issued a temporary order of protection for the child. The case was adjourned to May 5.

The incident allegedly occurred on April 1, when Swain allegedly lifted a 19-month-old child by the arms and dropped the child to the floor with force likely to cause injury. On two other occasions, she is accused of grabbing the same child by the back of the shirt collar and lifting the child off the ground.

“Westchester parents who drop their kids off at day care expect they will be nurtured,” Cacace said. “Instead, this defendant is alleged to have betrayed her duty as a care worker, subjecting the child victim in this case to unnecessary roughness. Toddlers cannot speak for themselves. It was only through diligent investigation and prosecutorial scrutiny that we were able to file this charge, and I would like to thank all of our investigatory partners for their work on this case.”

The case was investigated by the Rye Police Department and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.