Press Release  Former Owner of North Shore Daycare Center Chain Agrees to Pay Back Wages to Employees

Boston — The former owner and operator of a chain of child care centers on Boston’s North Shore will pay nearly $13,000 in restitution to 13 former employees to settle allegations that she violated state wage laws. 

Terrill B. Bettano, owner and operator of Terri’s Little Pumpkins, abruptly closed all of her child care centers located in Revere, Chelsea, Medford, Winthrop, and Somerville in September 2016 without paying several of her employees their earned wages upon termination. Under Massachusetts law, an employer must fully pay employees all wages upon their termination, including any unused accrued vacation pay. 

Bettano will pay $12,955 in restitution to resolve the AG’s allegations and has agreed to a voluntary compliance review program with the AG’s Office for a separate transportation company she operates to ensure that she is making full and timely payment of wages. 

Workers who believe their rights have been violated in their workplace are encouraged to file a complaint at www.mass.gov/ago/wagetheft. For information about the state’s wage and hour laws, workers may call the Office’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or go to the AG’s Workplace Rights website www.mass.gov/fairlabor for materials in multiple languages.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Karla Zarbo and Investigators Jennifer Pak and Yolanda O’Shea of the AG Healey’s Fair Labor Division, with assistance from Financial Investigator Colleen Frost of the AG’s Civil Investigations Division and investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration.

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