When everything came to a screeching halt at the beginning of the pandemic, parents had no choice but to start in-home care. Ever since, childcare facilities have been facing many changes and trials trying to get back to pre-pandemic levels of children and staff.

Sunset Academy is one of the hundreds of thousands of childcare facilities across the nation that hit a major roadblock at the start of the pandemic. Director Samantha Emmer says Sunset Academy reopened after two months, but with very few kids and teachers.

"We went from actually being at an enrollment of 120 students, which is full capacity, to 27 when we reopened," Emmer said.

Emily Bustos leads Denver's Early Childhood Council, a nonprofit that is part of a national network called Child Care Aware of America.

"We all work to do systemic change in early childhood, as well as provide governmental grants, funding, coaching and training to early-learning providers," Bustos said. "[The pandemic] has been really rough on childcare providers. We did see some sites closing permanently after the pandemic. And right now, what we're experiencing is more of a workforce shortage crisis, if you will, around having enough qualified teachers to actually open, reopen classrooms or keep them open."

She says the best way to attract teachers is to offer a living wage and career pathways to grow. That's exactly what Emmer says they had to do at Sunset Academy.

"We would provide things like sign-on bonuses," Emmer said. "We provided opportunity for staff to be able to reach their credential of becoming a lead teacher if they reached that credential during a certain time period. We would give them another extra bonus, and so that would help us to retain them and it would give them a solid job as well."

However, paying teachers more means parents must pay more.

"The cost of child care was already unaffordable for many families, especially if they have more than one child," Bustos said. "The pandemic has sort of increased that challenge in that there again are fewer teachers, but really there is a movement to pay them more of a living wage."

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, childcare providers made an average of $12.40 an hour in the year 2021. Bustos says the industry needs more public investment.

"I think, in general, there's a broad need for recognition of early learning services as essential for working parents, and I think we need to engage with the business community," Bustos said.

Bustos says incentive for well-trained educators is especially important due to kids returning with greater social-emotional needs.

"There's a lot more challenging behaviors that we're finding amongst the little ones," Emmer said. "So just being able to teach them and to show them positive ways of interacting with one another now, because they didn't have that, you know, some families had one child, no siblings. That child was at home alone. They didn't learn those social-emotional ways."

Emmer says there were a few benefits to the pandemic. It gave Sunset Academy an opportunity to restructure and now they're working toward becoming an English-Spanish bilingual school. She says it also helped parents to feel more sympathetic toward providers after child care was temporarily taken away.

"It can be emotionally draining sometimes," Emmer said. "Of course, it's very rewarding, but it is a lot. I think that they have a little bit of more appreciation, gratitude and understanding at what early childcare teachers really do."
 

BALTIMORE —

The Baltimore Blast soccer team made history, signing a 10-year-old boy to its roster.

Baltimore's indoor soccer team is making the wishes and dreams of Josh Diaz come true as he battles cancer.

A few years ago, Josh was just like any other talented soccer player in the region, putting in the work for himself and his team.

In 2020, he was diagnosed with an aggressive bone cancer that he kicked in October 2021 only to have it return in February. He ultimately lost a leg in an effort to stop the spread.

While undergoing chemotherapy, Josh remained on his team as a coach. The team mom reached out to the Blast to share Josh's story. The team offered Josh a job, signing him to a one-day contract.

Josh will start Saturday night when the Blast take on Utica. And, he will score a goal -- that will count.

"It's very special to me," Josh said. "It's definitely going to be awesome because I never thought I was going to play really on that field."

He has been practicing with the team for the past couple of weeks, making some very close friendships. The Blast's head coach, David Bascome, told 11 News it has been a two-way street of motivation between Josh and the players.

"It has been a huge connection for us," Bascome said. "It really puts things into perspective that we must appreciate waking up."

Josh's father, Orlando Diaz, is overcome with emotion, appreciative for his son's opportunity and putting his faith in a higher power.

"I have no words to say. I'm proud of my son and my other kids," Orlando Diaz said. "It's hard, but we have to believe in God. It's God's words whether he's going to stay or not."

"God bless all you guys," Josh said.

Josh's family started fundraising efforts to help with increasing medical bills.

| FUNDRAISING LINKS: GoFundMe page | Auction page

The number of American kids in poverty went up by 3.7 million last month, partly due to the expiration of monthly child tax credit payments. That’s a 41 percent increase and the highest rate since the end of 2020.

Senior research fellow Zach Parolin said Black and Latino children are being disproportionately affected.

“In January 2022, one in every four Black or Latino children lived in monthly poverty, according to our estimates,” Parolin said.

Child tax credit payments were given to families from July to December of last year as part of the American Rescue Plan. The Internal Revenue Service paid out $250 per child aged 6 to 17 and up to $300 per child aged under 6. The payments reached more than 61 million children in over 36 million households.

“A massive policy success in terms of its impact on child poverty, in terms of its impacts on food hardship, and the evidence also suggests that at least for the six months that the policy was around, it didn't do much at all to affect rates of unemployment among parents who were receiving it,” Parolin said.

Robert Campbell, the senior Robert Campbelldirector of policy with Feeding America, says any resource to help get food on the table is important.

“While we can't speak directly to how individuals are using their child tax credit resources, we do know that households with low incomes often spend a large portion of their budget on food, upwards of 30 percent," Campbell said, "And we also know that food-insecure families often have to make tough choices between things like food versus rent or food and medicine.”

Despite the program’s success, there is no momentum to restore the child tax credit payments in Congress. Senators are split on whether to add a work requirement for families who receive the money. Regardless, both Campbell and Parolin say that investing in the country’s most vulnerable lifts everyone up.

“If you're low-income family, you receive these benefits when you have a young child, that child is less likely to face hardship and therefore is more likely to do better in school to go on and graduate high school and to experience a number of long-run benefits as a result of this policy,” Parolin said.

 

BOSTON, Mass. — New moms often have a hard time finding their rhythm when they begin parenthood, and a new study suggests that the pandemic has made it even harder for first-time moms to bond with their babies.

Chrissy Athens gave birth to her daughter Seeley back in February. Both are perfectly happy and perfectly healthy, but navigating COVID-19 with an infant isn't always easy.

"I'm just trying to create as normal of a childhood as I can despite the pandemic," Athens said.

On a recent morning, that bit of normalcy came from a music class in downtown Boston park. It was a chance for parents to bond with their babies. And while finding the right chord for first-time moms has always been tough, COVID-19 has added another layer of uncertainty and stress these last two years.

"I think it was harder when I was pregnant trying to protect myself and her," Athens said.

It turns out the pandemic has really impacted moms and infants perhaps more than most people realized.

Dr. Carmina Erdei and her colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital just wrapped up a year-long study. What they found was many mothers reported lower ratings of infant bonding because of experiences related to COVID-19.

"There are various psychological risks to maternal mental health and well-being," Dr. Erdei said.

Many new moms said they were feeling symptoms of depression through the pandemic, which in turn made it harder for them to bond with their new baby.

"It’s really a vicious cycle. When mothers are depressed, they have a harder time engaging with their baby," she added.

Dr. Erdei and her team are using all this information to help new and expecting moms. Brigham and Women’s is one of the first hospitals in the country working to establish a perinatal mental health program embedded into their NICU. The hope is it will help new moms who are struggling even before they give birth.

"For us, the lessons learned is that it’s really important to screen for postpartum depression," Dr. Edei added.

As for Chrissy Athens, a lot of the pressures she was dealing with during her pregnancy have subsided. These days she's just trying to spend as much time as she can watching her daughter grow up.

"You can only stress so much. I just want her to not feel like there’s a pandemic happening."

ERLANGER, Ky. — Erlanger police arrested a 38-year-old accused of child rape on Sunday after he eluded capture for almost two months by living in a wooded area near Doe Run Lake.

Police said Billy Holt was arrested at a home on Woodale Court in Independence. When officers arrived, Holt barricaded himself in a laundry room but surrendered after about 30 minutes.

Holt had been living in woods near his family’s property between Sherbourne Drive and Doe Run Lake.

Holt, charged with multiple felonies, is currently lodged in the Kenton County Detention Center on a $50,000 bond.

Independence and Kenton County Police officers assisted Erlanger Detectives with the arrest along with Erlanger K9 Keno.

Families may be putting off eye exams over COVID-19 concerns, but one mom in Florida says keeping an eye out for warning signs is crucial right now as eye doctors adapt to keep kids safe and rebound after extra time at home.

Toddlers tend to fall when they're learning how to walk. Just like Erin Miller's daughter.

"My daughter was 15 months old," said Miller. "She seems to be falling a lot."

So they took her to a free public vision screening put on by For Eye Care Foundation on Florida's east coast.

"She was screened by Dr. Cano and he gave my mom a printout and said that there were some red flags," Miller said.

Turns out, she's nearsighted in one eye but farsighted in the other.

It's called amblyopia, or lazy eye. It's a condition that can lead to permanent damage if not caught early.

"If we can screen these children before their eyes mature they can be treated and prevent visual loss," said Dr. Cano.

That's why Dr. Cano says you shouldn't put off a visit to the eye doctor because of the pandemic. There are tools available to keep kids safe.

"One of the nice devices that we use, which I happen to have with me, is this device," Cano said. "It allows us to be over six feet away from the child."

Keeping social distance while keeping eyes healthy, Florida Society of Ophthalmology also offers resources for quick and easy at-home vision tests to help parents and guardians whose children might be spending more time at home.

Miller's daughter is two now and doing just fine with her glasses, and they're grateful to have caught the issue early.

"Incredibly grateful," said Miller. "I'm a special educator. I understand the importance of early intervention."

It's a good reminder to keep a close eye on your child's vision.

"We feel very blessed that we were in the right place at the right time," said Miller.

Right now, fewer than 20 percent of preschool children are screened for vision problems, according to the Florida Society of Ophthalmology.

To access the American Academy of Ophthalmology's site for at-home eye tests, click here.

For more information and resources for amblyopia, click here.

This story was first reported by Channing Frampton at WTXL in Tallahassee, Florida.

TAMPA, Fla. – A Tampa boy received a big surprise from his hero for his third birthday.

City of Tampa worker Leroy Lentz says each morning he goes out to collect waste, Marlon waits for him to greet him with excitement.

The two have become good friends and for Leroy, their chats and waves never fail to brighten his day.

To show appreciation for Marlon, Leroy and Tampa’s Management Department teamed up to bring a socially-distant party over to the little boy’s neighborhood.

On Tuesday, the community held a birthday parade to celebrate Marlon, and Leroy was able to surprise the little boy with cake and a toy garbage truck.

“The Department really appreciates those customers who take time to say hello and thank you. Recognizing the impact these essential workers have in our community is so appreciated,” Mayor Jane Castor’s office said in a statement. “We are thrilled to give Marlon a birthday to remember.”

Below is the video of the festivities:

This story originally reported by KJ Hiramoto on abcactionnews.com.

Barbara Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, has welcomed her first child into the world.Cora Georgia Coyne was born Monday in Maine, not far from where her parents' had wed, the 43rd President announced in a Tuesday statement. He and former first lady Laura Bush were "proud and grateful" for the new addition to their family."With full hearts, Laura and I are delighted to announce the birth of our new granddaughter," Bush said, adding later: "Cora is healthy and adorable, and we are proud and grateful."Barbara Bush, 39, married screenwriter Craig Louis Coyne in 2018 in a private ceremony in Kennebunkport, Maine.Cora is the Bushes' fourth grandchild. Barbara's twin sister, Jenna Bush Hager, has three children with her husband, Henry Hager.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M -- As difficult as it can be supporting two kids as a single mother, Melissa Martinez says her children are her motivation in life.

“I'm glad that they have each other," Martinez said. "They're a handful.”

Working a minimum-wage job, she says it can often be a struggle to put sufficient food on the table.

“They love their juice, they love their milk, and at one point there was a time when they were limited to resource of milk and formula when he was little, that was scary,” Martinez said.

Martinez isn’t alone. Research analyst Derek Lin with New Mexico Voices for Children says food insecurity was already a big issue in the state of New Mexico and across the county. The pandemic made it worse.

“In New Mexico, before the pandemic, 1 in 4 children suffered from child food insecurity after the pandemic started," Lin said. "That rate went up to 1 in 3.”

In recent months, Martinez says life has been made a little easier thanks to child tax credit payments that were expanded under the American Rescue Plan.

According to U.S. Census data, about 35 million eligible families received the first monthly payment of up to $300 for each child ages 5 and under and up to $250 for each child ages 6 to 17.

“What the administration and Congress did in recent legislation was make available those payments in monthly installments to low-income families, up to $300 per month, and those payments started in July, and we've already seen a very significant impact on food insecurity," said Geoffrey Plague, managing director of tax public policy and government relations with Feeding America.

Plague says the percentage of families indicating inadequate access to food dropped by 24%. Lin says more money in the pockets of families facing poverty can help end the cycle.

“When children aren't able to access enough high-quality food, they're not able to perform well in school," Lin said. "They're not able to do extracurricular activities. There are correlations between food insecurity and academic, behavioral and emotional issues.”

He says if they can’t do well in school, then it's difficult to go on to higher education and a life of better resources. Martinez says she hopes her kids can break that cycle.

“How do we offer them the best when some of us are so limited," Martinez said. "The workforce is hard because we're, we're striving to make the best of those minimum wage jobs, but we can't afford to make ends meet when we have to pay for back to school items. I don’t want them to remember that I struggled. I don’t want them to remember that it was hard for me. I want them to remember that they had really good things."

Martinez says the extra help is needed to be financially stable in a single-income household and she hopes the child tax credit payments will continue.

The current payments will continue monthly through December, but Feeding America is pushing for those payments to become permanent.

“The child tax credit has, for the history of it, for the entirety of its existence, proven to be one of the most effective anti-poverty provisions that we have at the federal level," Plague said.

For now, Martinez is taking it one day at a time. She says she’s thankful the tax credit has helped her give her children adequate food and clothing.

“We bought him new shoes, new sketchers, they even light up,” Martinez said.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Proving you can be small and mighty, a San Diego child is making days a little brighter for those with no place to call home.

It was on a drive downtown with her parents last year that charted a course for 8-year-old Abby Guth. She sat in the backseat of the family’s SUV peering out at men and women, young and old, living on the street.

She knew she wanted to help. She began saving her allowance and shopping with her mother, Elizabeth, for supplies for the homeless. Together, they put together baggies of supplies, including toiletries, sanitizer, blankets, and beanies. To date, they’ve given out 550 bags.

Abby hopes to one day expand to hot meals and maybe even a shelter. But for now, she’s launched a website, called Project Love to Love, to help support her mission. The project will soon be an official nonprofit organization.

For Abby’s dedication to those in need, she was presented with the ABC 10News Leadership Award for the month of February.

This story was originally published by Kimberly Hunt at KGTV.

OMAHA, Neb. —

Hearing the word "cancer" is scary for anyone, especially when you're just 9 years old. Sammy Strawn can call himself a survivor, and one heck of a baseball player too.

You don't have to be around Sammy for long to know he's anything but quiet on the field.

"My dad taught me when I was like maybe 3 or 4, so baseball's life to me," Sammy said.

But last October, he wasn't feeling like his normal self.

"We first found out after he had a prolonged headache at school and had to come home from school," his dad Joe said.

That long headache turned out to be caused by a brain tumor.

"It was a pilocytic astrocytoma," Joe said.

But baseball stayed on Sammy's mind. So when his parents told him what was going on, Joe said Sammy had just two questions: "First one: 'Am I going to live?' The second one: 'Am I going to play baseball again?'"

Joe and his wife Sarah Wemhoff-Strawn say they caught the tumor early on.

"(It was) not genetic, it was just a formulation of bad cells," Sarah said.

Between October and November, Sammy had two surgeries within weeks of each other. And just three days later, he was back to playing catch again.

"I didn't want to lie to him and say 'you will play baseball again,'" Joe said. "That was never a guarantee," Sarah chimed in.

Joe said he "was hoping by April he would be playing baseball and even that, I wasn't sure it was going to happen."

Sammy's impact inspired his parents so much that they started Sammy Strong, a foundation aiming to provide resources for families and everyone else involved in the life of a child facing what Sammy did.

Meanwhile, Sammy hasn't missed a single game or practice since his surgery.

He's grateful for his teammates.

"It's like they didn't even notice that I had cancer, and I was just a normal kid on the baseball team," Sammy said.

"I think grateful is the biggest understatement in the world," Sarah said.

Joe and Sarah say it's unlikely that the tumor will come back. But Sammy gets a check-up every three months to make sure everything is alright.

For more about the Sammy Strong foundation, go here.

Peloton is warning owners to keep their children away from their treadmills after an accident involving its Tread+ in which a child died.

CEO John Foley sent a letter to Tread+ owners Thursday, saying the warning comes after a "tragic accident involving a child and the Tread+, resulting in, unthinkably, a death."

He didn't reveal details of the fatal accident, but he did note Peloton is "aware of only a small handful of incidents involving the Tread+ where children have been hurt."

Overall, exercise equipment as a category can be particularly dangerous for children: 25,000 kids under the age of 10 are injured by exercise equipment each year, according to a 2014 study from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. In 2019, the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates U.S. emergency departments treated 2,000 treadmill-related injuries in children under 8.

Peloton said in a statement to CNN Business that there are "no words to express the shock and sadness everyone at Peloton feels as a result of this terrible tragedy." The company won't be disclosing any additional information about the incident "out of respect for the family and privacy."

Recommendations to help kids stay safe

"We design and build all of our products with safety in mind," Foley wrote. "But in order to help ensure that you and your family members stay safe with Peloton products in your home, we need your help."

Foley said Peloton recommends its customers keep children and pets away from equipment at all times. Before a workout, they should ensure the area is completely clear — and once they're done, they should remove the treadmill's safety key (required to be inserted for the machine to work) and store it out of reach.

NIH similarly recommends positioning treadmills to face the doorway, or using a mirror to improve visibility, if children are present in the household.

People of all ages are more likely to injure themselves on treadmills than any other kind of exercise equipment, the NIH study found. Americans report 46,000 treadmill-related injuries each year — more than four times the number of stationary bike accidents, the next-most dangerous kind of exercise equipment.

Treadmills comprise two-thirds of exercise equipment injuries, even though they represent just a quarter of exercise machines, NIH said. The group did not break out how many children are injured specifically by treadmills.

Peloton's Tread+, which costs $4,295, features carbon steel and aluminum as well as a motorized belt for walking or running. The company recently revealed a lower-priced treadmill for $2,495 that's expected to ship in late May. Both have large screens to stream Peloton classes.

WEST YORK, Pa. —

An 8-year-old boy died following a weekend fire in York County, Pennsylvania, which officials say was caused by discarded fireworks.

Fire crews were called to the home around 11 p.m. Saturday.

West York Fire Department Assistant Chief James Hope told sister station WGAL that there was heavy fire through the roof of the home when crews arrived.

Officials said two adults and a 6-year-old boy were already out of the home, but an 8-year-old boy had to be rescued from a second-floor bedroom.

All four people were taken to a hospital, where the 8-year-old later died.

Firefighters said the fire was caused by discarded fireworks.

"It was determined that fireworks were used and set off some point during the night and discarded in a plastic recycling bin that weren't completely out. Hot embers can burn. Any little wind can make that hot ember become hot again and melt anything close, and that's what caused the fire," Hope said.

Damage to both parts of the duplex is estimated at $300,000.

The investigation continues by the West York Fire Department, West York Borough Police and the state police fire marshal.

The Red Cross was also called to the scene.

BURLINGTON, Ky. — A Boone County jury found Jacob Walter not guilty of one count of sodomy in the first degree, but were deadlocked and unable to come to a verdict on a second charge of sodomy in the first degree or the charge of rape.

Walter was arrested in 2018 after he pinned a woman down and raped her until she bled, according to the Boone County Sheriff's Department.

According to court documents, the 7-foot-tall, 300-pound Walter held the victim down, choked her and ignored her pleas to stop, leaving her bruised and bleeding by the time her mother called police.

"Walter dismissed the victim by laughing at her and telling her that she would be fine," Sgt. Philip Ridgell wrote in a release.

Walter registered as a juvenile sex offender after an incident authorities said he committed just weeks before his 18th birthday.

The victim in that case told investigators that Walter ignored her telling him to stop sexual intercourse. She later recorded a phone call in which he admitted to doing it despite her requests to stop, according to court records. A judge ordered Walter to remain in community placement with the Department of Juvenile Justice for a maximum of three years after that case.

For many, spending holidays with family is something special. For one Nevada family, this Father’s Day marks a big milestone.

Even though Brody and his twin brother Ryker are 14 months old, this is the first Father’s Day they’ll spend at home with their dad, Brandon.

“Be thankful for every day those little miracle babies are around,” Brandon Soukup said.

How the twins got here, laughing and playing with their parents, is like Brandon said -- a miracle.

“September of 2019, I found out I was pregnant,” Rachel Soukup said. As she went to checkups, she was told something no parent wants to hear.

“They're basically like, 'your smaller baby is probably not going to make it. He’s probably going to die and then the larger baby could have a lot of problems associated with that, he may not make it either.' So it was a very grim prognosis,” she recalled.

With the help of doctors, Rachel was referred to Children’s Hospital Colorado from her home in Nevada.

“We just want to make sure that they’re both going to make it and we’ll do whatever we can,” she said.

Early on, Rachel found out she had Mo/Di twins, meaning one was very small and had abnormal fetal-placental blood flows.

“The high-risk nature of this comes not only in potentially losing one baby but potentially losing both or leaving one baby with brain injury,” Dr. Henry Galan, who works in maternal-fetal medicine at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said.

“Twin to twin transfusion affects about one in 4,000 to one in 5,000 pregnancies in general, it affects about 10% of identical twins.”

Rachel had to be monitored daily at the Colorado Fetal Care Center, where doctors and nurses care for high-risk moms and babies. They deal with many uncommon diagnoses.

“She needed to be watched very closely,” Dr. Franklin Chow, Director of Laborist Program at Children's Hospital Colorado, said.

Dr. Chow was there to help figure out when the danger was too high, and the babies needed to come out. The two babies' heart rate was the biggest sign -- when the smaller baby’s heart rate dropped too much, it was time.

“We just have to try to buy as much time for this baby to grow as possible,” he said.

And then the pandemic hit. Amid a pandemic, in an unfamiliar state, Rachel gave birth at 29 weeks to two boys, both under three pounds each, with her mom by her side.

Brandon was back in Nevada.

“Our hospital was like a military camp, it was secure and locked down,” Dr. Chow explained.

The twins were put in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, where they faced a number of challenges. Ryker coded due to oxygen problems and had laser eye surgery. Brody struggled with feeding difficulties.

Months later, Brandon was finally able to visit.

“They were born on April 8 and he met them on Father’s Day. That was finally when the pandemic was calming down for a short period of time to allow for him to come,” Rachel recalled. “They had these little Father’s Day outfits, but they were massive on them.”

“I was super nervous and almost shaking. You hold them and they're just so tiny. But it was kind of that moment like, oh it was weird because I had been a dad for four months but I hadn’t actually felt like a dad,” Brandon said. “Seeing them for the first time, the noises they make, that was probably one of the better days I've ever had.”

And after 125 days in the NICU, Ryker and Brody were finally able to go home.

“Brody was always the bigger twin. He’s starting to crawl, he's starting to stand up on things,” Rachel said. “Ryker has always been a little bit behind, but he’s finally now sat up by himself which is really exciting.” Rachel is simply grateful for everyone involved in helping her on her journey.

As the boys grow up, Rachel and Brandon say they always look at things with perspective.

“It’s like that challenge in the moment with the baby, or that next developmental hurdle you're trying to get over. But a year later you kind of look back. Now our problems are Brody is crawling around and getting into everything,” Brandon said.

This Father’s Day, one year after meeting his kids, Brandon is able to celebrate with family members at home, along with his own father.

“For me, it's like a day of remembrance that you have these kids. They're in your life now, you bless these kids, it's kind of a reset day, for me anyways. Let's do another year of being a dad, let's be there for them, try to be a good person,” he said.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said reports of online enticement, where adults communicate with children intending to commit a sexual offense or abduction, have increased 97.5% from 2019 to 2020.

"Over 21.7 million reports. It's the largest number of reports ever to the cyber tip line since its existence," said Kathy Gust, a program director at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

"I think that's a direct result as to the fact that we're putting tablets and laptops in the hands of our children for school," said Mike Hockwater, a detective on the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force.

Hockwater said the increase in online enticement reports comes at a time children are spending increased time on phones, computers and tablets.

"Their tablets - that's their life right now. That's how they're communicating and continuing their relationships with their friends," Gust said.

"Anytime there are people social networking, it's an opportunity for an offender to groom a relationship whether it's an adult relationship or child relationship," Dr. David Heffler, a forensic mental health counselor, said.

A criminal complaint filed in January accuses Pedro Melendez, a Niagara Falls man, of admitting he had been communicating with an 11-year-old girl from Connecticut online via PlayStation.

According to the complaint, Melendez confirmed the girl was 11-years-old, then "sent images of his face and two images of a penis, which he purported to be his own."

The complaint said, "Melendez asked minor victim to send a picture of herself to him." When the girl offered to get her father's phone to take the image, Melendez said "don't want him to get suspicious."

"They will take a person who you would never expect would fall for such a trick and they convince them prior to ever having asked for a picture, prior to talking about meeting, they groom them by telling them how great they are," Hockwater said.

Hockwater said some of these interactions move from online communication to in-person meet-ups.

Last August in Chautauqua County, New York, a federal complaint was filed involving Richard LaFrance, a registered sex offender.

He is accused of communicating with a 14-year-old student via her Silver Creek School email. The complaint said he eventually gave her a phone to communicate with him.

The complaint said LaFrance and the student exchanged sexual images, and the victim said she eventually went on a fishing trip with LaFrance where they engaged in intercourse.

The LaFrance complaint documents LaFrance saying, "You better delete these or at least most of them after you read them," in response to the victim saying, "Love u" after discussing the fishing trip.

"We've had several cases in the last year involving people who have traveled long distances to meet children after they had engaged with them online," Hockwater said.

Hockwater said the three most common sites where offenders exist are Snapchat, Instagram and Kik, but they can be found on any social media outlet or platform where a child has access to the internet. He said parents need to be looking at their kids' online presence more often.

"We look back at what went wrong and how we could have prevented it and more often times than not it's just the lack of deep involvement by a parent on their children's online world," Hockwater said.

"We have to make it harder for offenders to victimize children. The best way to do that is to really educate our children about the risk," Dr. Heffler said.

Dr. Heffler works with victims and perpetrators of online sexual abuse. He said parents need to go through their children's social media and online accounts because this kind of abuse can change the course of a child's life.

"It has a lifelong impact. There's no point in time in which a victim of abuse will say it no longer bothers me. It no longer has an effect on me," Dr. Heffler said.

Gust said to have an open conversation about offenders with your kids.

"Start those conversations at a young age. The child just grows up naturally feeling safe and having those conversations. And they know, if I go to mom and dad they're not going to overreact," Gust said.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has videos and learning activities to educate children about online predators.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also offers family services if a child or parent needs to speak with someone or ask for assistance in finding a therapist or attorney.

This story was originally published by Olivia Proia at WKBW.

ST. JAMES, N.Y. – A 4-year-old in New York is recovering from brain surgery to treat cancer but he can't get the chemotherapy he needs because he’s been diagnosed with COVID-19.

When Matteo Ferruzzi started feeling sick, his mother, Jennifer, says she wasn’t that concerned.

"Honestly, we just thought it was a stomach virus," she told

News 12 Long Island.

But quickly, other symptoms developed, including Matteo’s eyes, which began to cross. The boy was rushed to Cohen’s Children’s Hospital, where it was discovered that he had an inoperable malignant brain tumor.

"I didn't expect to get this diagnosis," said Jennifer.

Matteo had emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. The St. James boy was then sent home to recover before he could begin chemotherapy. However, that's when things became more complicated.

Jennifer came down with the coronavirus and had to self-quarantine.

"It was hard for me to be in the bedroom so sick and hearing him out there, not be able to tell him ‘it's OK, mommy's here,’" she said.

Matteo also tested positive for the coronavirus, which has now delayed him getting the lifesaving treatment he needs.

"The best time I can get a good cry in is when I am in the shower," said Jennifer.

Jennifer says both she and Matteo were recently retested, but both are still positive. She’s hoping and praying the next test will give doctors the go ahead to save her son's life.

"It's such a crazy time for the whole world,” said Jennifer. “We are all in a crisis."

This is the message Jennifer says she wants to share during this heart wrenching time:

"If your child is showing symptoms or complaining about something, absolutely get them into their pediatrician right away,” said Jennifer. “And even if it's nothing, it is better to be safe than sorry."

Once Matteo gets to start chemo, he will have treatments for at least a year.