Has anyone else experienced this?

[Anonymous]

[I'll start off by saying we are moving to a different daycare very soon and have a start date.]

My DS (3) and DD (2) have gone to the same daycare for more than a year. We have been happy with it and the my children absolutely love it. The owner and employees are caring and my kids clearly love being with them. The daycare is relatively small, and for lunchtime, uses those small floor level highchairs. They sometimes leave the facility to go for walks or to nearby playgrounds, and use a "kinder-van" - which is a big cart thing that you've probably seen and is essentially a stroller for 9 kids.

I have arrived at pickup and one of my kids may still be in the kinder-van. And I have seen, from time to time, kids doing an art project or activity with small pieces in one of the floor level highchairs. I did not love that, but overall we've been very happy with the center, and it happened very rarely. I know that the other parents must have seen this as well and they also know it occurs from time to time. But now I'm wondering how frequently it happens?

Fast-forward to the past few weeks and as my kids get more articulate, I've heard them say to each other things like, "if you don't listen, Ms. [daycare provider] is going to put you in the kinder-van." I questioned my DS, who said that his friends get put in the kinder-van if they're not listening. This past week, I arrived earlier than usual to find my DD in one of the highchair seats with no activity to do. Just strapped into the seat for no reason. Because finding a good daycare with openings for 2 kids where we live is very difficult, I was not sure how soon I'd be able to move providers. I also chose not to say anything to them as my kids were going to continue to be in their care. The new place we are going will have space for us starting in December. My spouse and I work fulltime and both have work obligations/work travel, and limited leave necessitating that we have care these next few weeks, so we will be sending the kids and will do all we can to pick them up early and limit their hours there.

But my question is, is this behavior permitted? I am in Illinois and have searched for guidance/rules for licensed daycares, and I can't find anything on point. Is this permitted in DC, MD, or VA? I could only find regulations for older kids in facilities (13-18), but their rules clearly stated no "mechanical restraints" for punishment or for convenience of the provider. Seems like those rules should be applicable to little kids too, yes??

This center is run by a family and has been open for more than a decade. I know it is their sole source of income, and I would not feel good about causing an exodus from this daycare. On the other hand, I think this practice should stop immediately.

Would you say anything to the provider while your kids were still there?
How would you handle it once you're gone: Say something to the providers or just ? Make a complaint to the state licensing people? Tell the other parents why we're leaving (I think doing this would make several families leave).

There's a childcare crisis in this country for a reason. I honestly love so much of what this place does and how much they love my kids. I think they are overwhelmed and are using this as a crutch, essentially for their own convenience and as a punishment for non-preferred behaviors.

[Anonymous]

Call your state licensing department and ask. File an anonymous report if you have to and they'll send someone randomly to check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call your state licensing department and ask. File an anonymous report if you have to and they'll send someone randomly to check.

I called last week and left a message. No call back yet.

[Anonymous]

I'm a parent. I put both my kids in center-based daycare from 6 months to K.

You describe your kids as happy with the center and the owners as caring.

It seems they are using the kindervan as a time out chair.

Your kids seem to be aware that naughty kids are sanctioned using this chair.

My daycare had a time out chair on the ground with no belt for 3-4s.

If your kids do not seem traumatized by this, then I would take it up with the owners directly. Ask them to put an unbelted time out chair in, instead

For me, I had bigger issues with momentary inattention. I once arrived in an infant classroom to find my kid sitting in a Bumbo and nobody in the room at all. The young aide had gone to the restroom. While that's a call a mom might make, I didn't expect it from a daycare with multiple teachers. My older kid was also left unattended at age 3 while a teacher went to answer a phone, and during that time, he ran around the classroom and fell and smashed his teeth on a table.

So...the situation you're complaining about at least seems more safety minded.

I would talk to the center first. Because your kids don't seem to be harmed. It might only be one of the staff doing it.

[Anonymous]

This is a State licensing violation under proper discipline and child safety since the child is being restrained due to behavior. Also can be interpreted as abusive by some inspectors and they may refer to CPS. The result will be a violation on their record and they will stop the practice. Another solution to get them to stop the practice is to have a conversation with them. They may not understand how bad this practice truly is and a conversation may be helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent. I put both my kids in center-based daycare from 6 months to K.

You describe your kids as happy with the center and the owners as caring.

It seems they are using the kindervan as a time out chair.

Your kids seem to be aware that naughty kids are sanctioned using this chair.

My daycare had a time out chair on the ground with no belt for 3-4s.

If your kids do not seem traumatized by this, then I would take it up with the owners directly. Ask them to put an unbelted time out chair in, instead

For me, I had bigger issues with momentary inattention. I once arrived in an infant classroom to find my kid sitting in a Bumbo and nobody in the room at all. The young aide had gone to the restroom. While that's a call a mom might make, I didn't expect it from a daycare with multiple teachers. My older kid was also left unattended at age 3 while a teacher went to answer a phone, and during that time, he ran around the classroom and fell and smashed his teeth on a table.

So...the situation you're complaining about at least seems more safety minded.

I would talk to the center first. Because your kids don't seem to be harmed. It might only be one of the staff doing it.

Thanks for providing some perspective and I am so sorry that happened to your son! That had to have been traumatic for everyone.

Honestly, I have rationalized this in many ways, due to all the positives at the center. From what my kids have said, I feel pretty sure they use the restraints for the staff's convenience and for punishment/time out. I've realized that just doesn't work for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a State licensing violation under proper discipline and child safety since the child is being restrained due to behavior. Also can be interpreted as abusive by some inspectors and they may refer to CPS. The result will be a violation on their record and they will stop the practice. Another solution to get them to stop the practice is to have a conversation with them. They may not understand how bad this practice truly is and a conversation may be helpful.

This is helpful. Thank you.

I will get ahold of the licensing folks. This is surely an answer one of them can provide to me very quickly... if I could get someone on the phone. I'd like to get an answer from the licensing people about what is permitted and then address it directly with the center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent. I put both my kids in center-based daycare from 6 months to K.

You describe your kids as happy with the center and the owners as caring.

It seems they are using the kindervan as a time out chair.

Your kids seem to be aware that naughty kids are sanctioned using this chair.

My daycare had a time out chair on the ground with no belt for 3-4s.

If your kids do not seem traumatized by this, then I would take it up with the owners directly. Ask them to put an unbelted time out chair in, instead

For me, I had bigger issues with momentary inattention. I once arrived in an infant classroom to find my kid sitting in a Bumbo and nobody in the room at all. The young aide had gone to the restroom. While that's a call a mom might make, I didn't expect it from a daycare with multiple teachers. My older kid was also left unattended at age 3 while a teacher went to answer a phone, and during that time, he ran around the classroom and fell and smashed his teeth on a table.

So...the situation you're complaining about at least seems more safety minded.

I would talk to the center first. Because your kids don't seem to be harmed. It might only be one of the staff doing it.

The thing with young kids is that they don't know any different. The teauma would be revealed in other ways: bed wetting, acting out at home, sleep disturbances, stomach aches, etc etc. The scenarios op describes are unacceptable to me and I would report and NOT send my kids back. I would take emergency family leave to prevent further abuse.

[Anonymous]

I was at a center that did the same thing. There is camera access and I saw the teachers use the straps to restrain children for their convenience. I was hesitant to do anything at first because other parents seemed okay with it since they continued to do it on camera. However I decided to take pull my daughter out and I’m so glad I did now that I’m removed from the situation. It would’ve been terrible for her development to keep her at a place that engaged in such practices openly.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes it is done for a child own safety. As long as it is for a few minutes only, I would be fine with that. Like 3-4 min.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes it is done for a child own safety. As long as it is for a few minutes only, I would be fine with that. Like 3-4 min.

The center I was at would do it for 30+ minutes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[I'll start off by saying we are moving to a different daycare very soon and have a start date.]


This center is run by a family and has been open for more than a decade. I know it is their sole source of income, and I would not feel good about causing an exodus from this daycare. On the other hand, I think this practice should stop immediately.

Why would you feel bad for the daycare for causing mass exodus from their abusive center? They should be shut down and fined. I’d only feel bad for the parents who weren’t aware and will have to scramble to find a new center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a State licensing violation under proper discipline and child safety since the child is being restrained due to behavior. Also can be interpreted as abusive by some inspectors and they may refer to CPS. The result will be a violation on their record and they will stop the practice. Another solution to get them to stop the practice is to have a conversation with them. They may not understand how bad this practice truly is and a conversation may be helpful.

News Flash:
Parents use “mechanical restraints” with their children every day. It starts with mechanical swings and then progresses to walkers, now known as entertainment centers, so there’s no more walking allowed.

What children need is a safe floor space to move around. But almost everyone has a dog, so parents resort to whatever is most convenient for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a State licensing violation under proper discipline and child safety since the child is being restrained due to behavior. Also can be interpreted as abusive by some inspectors and they may refer to CPS. The result will be a violation on their record and they will stop the practice. Another solution to get them to stop the practice is to have a conversation with them. They may not understand how bad this practice truly is and a conversation may be helpful.

News Flash:
Parents use “mechanical restraints” with their children every day. It starts with mechanical swings and then progresses to walkers, now known as entertainment centers, so there’s no more walking allowed.

What children need is a safe floor space to move around. But almost everyone has a dog, so parents resort to whatever is most convenient for them.

You shouldn't be using walkers and this is abusive and not ok. They are using it as an inappropiate time out.