Meisner said that of the 57 women who were transported to the San Angelo Coliseum, six women accepted the agency's offer to move into "a safe place," while others requested to return to the ranch.

Meisner said Monday's decision did not come easily.

"It was a difficult thing to do," she said. "Children like to be with their parents, and parents like to be with their children. There was some sadness as well as some tears.

"The children who have been separated have indoor and outdoor play areas, and are being provided three meals a day plus snacks.

"They are happy, they are playing," she said, adding children have been allowed to freely worship. "We are certainly very respectful of that."

Meisner also outlined other agency action, including the transfer of two dozen adolescent boys. They were moved Monday afternoon and placed in temporary foster custody.

After the press conference, Meisner rejected some critics' comparison of the state's action to that of Nazis during wartime Germany.

"I respectfully disagree with that," she said. "I feel very good about the job we are doing in Texas. I understand there are going to be those who disagree with us."

Meisner, who started with the agency 16 years ago as a caseworker, said the agency's foremost mission is the protection of children.

"I believe very strongly in what our staff does every day to protect the children of Texas," she said, earlier pointing out that the case — simply boiled down — is about "these children whose cries have gone unheard."

The briefing also included some descriptions by Dr. Adolfo Valadez, assistant commissioner with the state Department of Health, who has been on-site with the children. He has overseen the delivery of medical care for the children, including implementing a "strict and stringent infection control policy."

The care, which includes mobile clinics and a variety of nursing staff, is not unlike care delivered during the height of Texas hurricane season. He said that two or three more cases of chicken pox have been detected among the children, bringing the total to 23 so far. At the outset of the raid, officials said that several children were ill with the common childhood disease.

On Tuesday, the doctor said there were no children in isolation, but he did not rule out the possibility of additional chicken pox cases because of its long incubation period.