A South St. Paul City Council member who lost her daycare license after allegations that a child in her care ingested methamphetamine has been allowed to reopen under a two-year conditional order.
Pamela Bakken’s license was reinstated Sept. 25 and Dakota County agreed to “rescind its determination” that Bakken was “responsible for maltreatment of a minor by neglect,” according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS).
Child tested positive for controlled substance
The incident began on Dec. 6, 2024, when a 3-year-old was dropped off at Bakken’s daycare at 7:10 a.m. and taken to a local preschool just over an hour later. The child returned to daycare at 11:30 a.m., where staff “noticed he was acting out of character as he was very talkative, fidgety and had a hard time focusing.” He was served lunch and vomited shortly afterward.
The boy was later brought to a hospital, where he tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamines. He told his mother he ate something “gross” from the bathroom rug at daycare that looked like an “onion crumb,” according to the Dakota County Attorney’s office.
Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena said her office reviewed the evidence but concluded the state could not prove the case. “This decision was made after a careful review of the evidence presented to my office,” she said.
She explained that prosecutors could not establish “beyond a reasonable doubt that the child ingested meth while at Ms. Bakken’s day care given the timing of the onset of symptoms.”
Poison control experts told investigators that symptoms such as talkativeness, restlessness, and vomiting would normally appear “within one to three hours after ingesting meth.”
The county said that even assuming the child ingested meth while at the daycare, the state is unable to prove that Bakken knew it was present in her home and that she intentionally or recklessly allowed the child to be placed in a situation likely to harm the child’s health, or that she deprived the child necessary supervision appropriate to his age.
Bakken previously said in a Facebook post that she picked up the boy at the preschool earlier that day and noticed he “wasn’t himself,” prompting her to call his mother, according to KSTP.
“Every adult who encountered the child at my home volunteered to take a hair follicle drug test, and those results were negative, and at no point were drugs found in my home,” she added.
Findings in suspension order
In March, DHS issued an order to suspend the license while it investigated.
In its suspension order, DHS said it reviewed “the facts, conditions, and circumstances concerning your program’s operation” and concluded Bakken’s daycare posed an “imminent risk of harm.”
The agency found she was “responsible for maltreatment,” had “failed to provide required supervision,” and violated the terms of a disqualification variance.
Regulators also determined she “failed to ensure that children did not have access to toxins” and “failed [to] complete a background study for a household member.”
The agency then revoked Bakken’s license in June, a decision which Bakken appealed.
Settlement rescinds maltreatment finding, imposes conditions
Under the settlement agreement, Dakota County agreed to “rescind its determination that [Bakken] was responsible for maltreatment of a minor by neglect.”
Her family childcare license has been placed on conditional status for two years.
During that period, Bakken must comply with all applicable Minnesota statutes and rules, including background study requirements.
Her program’s maximum capacity will be capped at 12 children under a Class C2 license, and “no variances to age distribution or capacity will be granted during the conditional period,” according to the order.
Bakken’s city council term runs through 2029. A previous attempt to recall her was unsuccessful.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
