Daycare worker faces 25 years in child abuse

A South Ozone Park woman will go to court next week and face charges of sexually abusing her 4-year-old charge at a Richmond Hill daycare center “numerous times” over a six-week period.
District Attorney Richard Brown identified the woman as Khemwatie Bedessie, 37, a daycare worker at Veda’s Learning Center in South Ozone Park. Bedessie has no prior criminal record and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
On Thursday, March 2, Bedessie was arraigned and ordered to be held without bail until her court date, March 16. Charges against her include one count of rape in the first degree, six counts of sexual abuse in the first degree and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Brown said that Bedessie allegedly brought the child into the bathroom, where she would sexually abuse him, during the early morning hours and the children’s naptime.
“The child, I’m afraid, will never recover from the emotional trauma inflicted upon him by an individual into whose care he was entrusted by his parents,” Brown said.
“We have rigorous screening procedures in place to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all children in daycare,” said Elliott Marcus, Associate Commissioner at Bureau of Day Care, DOHMH. “In this case, the worker was properly screened. This situation is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the child and his family.”
Although Bedessie was initially screened by the DOHMH, she did not have to undergo any training by the city. Repeated phone calls to the DOHMH about the lack of training, a requirement for state licensed facillities, went unanswered at press time.