Delaware County families are outraged after day care operator’s son was charged with raping a child

A group of parents in Delaware County is outraged after learning that the son of a day care owner they trusted for close to 30 years has been accused of raping one of the children in his mother’s care.

William McGrath IV, 30, was charged earlier this month with rape of a child and related crimes after the now-adult victim told Upper Darby police that he raped her 20 times in 2010, when she was 5 years old. He was released after posting $7,500 bail.

McGrath’s attorney, Michael Noone, declined to comment on the case Monday.

He formerly worked as a Delaware County Park Police officer from 2016 to 2019, and as a dispatcher with the county’s Department of Emergency Services until 2022, officials have said.

Since McGrath’s arrest, mothers of children who attended Miss Barb’s Daycare have banded together through group chats and social media, sharing information.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt said Monday that township officials shut down the day care Barbara McGrath had operated out of her home on Parker Avenue after her son’s arrest. The business, he said, had been operating without a license, and violated local zoning laws.

Police had never been notified about any incidents at the business before the victim in this case contacted them in May to report the decade-old assaults, according to Bernhardt.

The woman told investigators the then-teenage McGrath raped her when the two of them were alone in the house, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

During those incidents, the woman said, McGrath would walk her down into the basement of the day care, which had been set up as a game room with a pool table and air hockey table, to play video games.

While there, McGrath put her on his lap and assaulted her, she told police. On some occasions, she said, McGrath raped her twice in a day, the affidavit said.

The woman told police she always knew “something bad” would happen whenever she was left alone with him. During those moments, she wished another child would be dropped off at the day care, to prevent him from assaulting her, she told police.

Bernhardt said the investigation into McGrath’s alleged behavior is ongoing, and urged anyone who took their children or relatives to the day care to have the “difficult conversation” about the charges McGrath faces.

“Parents really have to do their due diligence when they bring their kids to a day care,” he said. “It’s a shame something like this occurred, but people need to do their homework, and make sure the people taking care of their kids have had the proper background checks and clearances from the state.”

Barbara McGrath operated the day care out of her home in the township for decades, according to some parents who hired her to watch their children.

The business was popular in the region, according to one mother, especially among parents who had been wait-listed at other day care facilities.

“This lady was trusted in the community. For 30 years she had kids going in and out, so many people in babysitting groups knew her,” said the woman, whose daughter started attending McGrath’s day care last year. She asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.

Some were dismayed to see McGrath defending her son on Facebook, saying the crimes “never happened,” according to screenshots of the since-deleted comments.