Toddler left at Livingston Park by daycare (FCC?)

[Anonymous]

My child was at a daycare where there was an accident and a child was injured.

2 months later, on the child's last day before moving to K at a public school, the family filed a lawsuit. They claimied that the daycare was reckless. It was difficult for the family to convince a court that it was so egrious that they continued sending their child to the daycare every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, the FCC representative didn't LIE explicitly - she is quoted as saying that the child is still enrolled - careful language which does not contain an actual falsehood, but deliberately misleading (presuming that the PP is correct that the family has decided not to return to the center, which of course seems like a no-brainer to me). I'd be equally outraged at something else the FCC rep was quoted as saying in the news story: "The parents came to pick up the child and the child had not come back from the park." C'mon FCC, you make it sound like it was the child's fault or choice to stay in the park. He was brought TO the park and was apparently NOT brought FROM the park. And then she adds that it "seems like it was a breakdown in the process." Please.

Even beyond the incident itself - which is egregious - the way that this center is handling this would hardly inspire confidence in their diligence and responsibility.

I was surprised that FCC decided to grant an interview.

[Anonymous]

I am a teacher, who takes their students to a park, and I have witness an incident like this happen. All I can say it is scary for the teacher and it is not a malicious act. The park atmosphere should be more of a community therefore it is always better to be proactive than reactive, bashing the school will not solve anything. If you choose not to bring you child to this school it your personal decision however if you do it is better to help than to harm. Watching over a group of children is hard work and I sometimes see parents/nannies struggle with 1 or 2. Please be careful with your judgement. I commend the center for reporting it and staying on top of it. Hopefully this opens everyone's eyes in this community, when you are at the park and see signs that this situation might happen that you step in and help because I know I do when I see someone struggling at the park, whether it is a school, parent or nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child was at a daycare where there was an accident and a child was injured.

2 months later, on the child's last day before moving to K at a public school, the family filed a lawsuit. They claimied that the daycare was reckless. It was difficult for the family to convince a court that it was so egrious that they continued sending their child to the daycare every day.

That's very interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was at a daycare where there was an accident and a child was injured.

2 months later, on the child's last day before moving to K at a public school, the family filed a lawsuit. They claimied that the daycare was reckless. It was difficult for the family to convince a court that it was so egrious that they continued sending their child to the daycare every day.

That's very interesting.

Yup, all the actions of a pending lawsuit. Baby needs college fund!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher, who takes their students to a park, and I have witness an incident like this happen. All I can say it is scary for the teacher and it is not a malicious act. The park atmosphere should be more of a community therefore it is always better to be proactive than reactive, bashing the school will not solve anything. If you choose not to bring you child to this school it your personal decision however if you do it is better to help than to harm. Watching over a group of children is hard work and I sometimes see parents/nannies struggle with 1 or 2. Please be careful with your judgement. I commend the center for reporting it and staying on top of it. Hopefully this opens everyone's eyes in this community, when you are at the park and see signs that this situation might happen that you step in and help because I know I do when I see someone struggling at the park, whether it is a school, parent or nanny.

They are legally required to report it. And they are "on top of it" because it has been publicized. There is no excuse for forgetting a 2 year old at a park. My kids' preschool takes walks to the park and they are constantly counting. I tagged along last week because I had the afternoon off. I went to pick up my son at daycare and was told they were at the park and they gave me the class cell phone number. I left my car at the daycare and met the class at the park. The teachers were constantly counting kids. When they walked back every teacher counted and they checked the roster and yelled the number to each other. They walked a block and counted again when they crossed the street. They got back to school and again counted. This school must have sloppy procedures to not notice a kid missing until a parent arrives.

[Anonymous]

I am really surprised so many daycares do number head counts rather than name checks. A number is easy to be off by instead if you look for Jane and she isn't there then it is easier to know someone is missing. If the ratio is 1:3 or even 1:4 it can't be that hard for the teachers to learn the children's names and look around and... yep I see Billy, I see Suzie, I see Freddy, I see Sally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher, who takes their students to a park, and I have witness an incident like this happen. All I can say it is scary for the teacher and it is not a malicious act. The park atmosphere should be more of a community therefore it is always better to be proactive than reactive, bashing the school will not solve anything. If you choose not to bring you child to this school it your personal decision however if you do it is better to help than to harm. Watching over a group of children is hard work and I sometimes see parents/nannies struggle with 1 or 2. Please be careful with your judgement. I commend the center for reporting it and staying on top of it. Hopefully this opens everyone's eyes in this community, when you are at the park and see signs that this situation might happen that you step in and help because I know I do when I see someone struggling at the park, whether it is a school, parent or nanny.

They are legally required to report it. And they are "on top of it" because it has been publicized. There is no excuse for forgetting a 2 year old at a park. My kids' preschool takes walks to the park and they are constantly counting. I tagged along last week because I had the afternoon off. I went to pick up my son at daycare and was told they were at the park and they gave me the class cell phone number. I left my car at the daycare and met the class at the park. The teachers were constantly counting kids. When they walked back every teacher counted and they checked the roster and yelled the number to each other. They walked a block and counted again when they crossed the street. They got back to school and again counted. This school must have sloppy procedures to not notice a kid missing until a parent arrives.

Or maybe yours was *on top of it all* because you were tagging along.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am really surprised so many daycares do number head counts rather than name checks. A number is easy to be off by instead if you look for Jane and she isn't there then it is easier to know someone is missing. If the ratio is 1:3 or even 1:4 it can't be that hard for the teachers to learn the children's names and look around and... yep I see Billy, I see Suzie, I see Freddy, I see Sally.

Agreed. This thread led to a discussion at work of the most recent divers left at the Great Barrier Reef. Big boat, and apparently divers from another boat climbed on the wrong boat. Number count was right, but it was the wrong people. so those divers were left in the water and only rescued when the other boats count came up short and they called in the rescue units.

Moral: head counts aren't good enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher, who takes their students to a park, and I have witness an incident like this happen. All I can say it is scary for the teacher and it is not a malicious act. The park atmosphere should be more of a community therefore it is always better to be proactive than reactive, bashing the school will not solve anything. If you choose not to bring you child to this school it your personal decision however if you do it is better to help than to harm. Watching over a group of children is hard work and I sometimes see parents/nannies struggle with 1 or 2. Please be careful with your judgement. I commend the center for reporting it and staying on top of it. Hopefully this opens everyone's eyes in this community, when you are at the park and see signs that this situation might happen that you step in and help because I know I do when I see someone struggling at the park, whether it is a school, parent or nanny.

um, ok. struggling with a kid isn't the same as leaving them behind and not realizing it for an hour.
fire 'em.

[Anonymous]

In Maryland, daycare/preschools are required to sign kids in and out in a notebook. The notebooks are carried around all day long to each activity/room/playground and parents are responsible for the first sign in and the last sign out of the day. They are very strict with this and check names in addition to just counting heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a teacher, who takes their students to a park, and I have witness an incident like this happen. All I can say it is scary for the teacher and it is not a malicious act. The park atmosphere should be more of a community therefore it is always better to be proactive than reactive, bashing the school will not solve anything. If you choose not to bring you child to this school it your personal decision however if you do it is better to help than to harm. Watching over a group of children is hard work and I sometimes see parents/nannies struggle with 1 or 2. Please be careful with your judgement. I commend the center for reporting it and staying on top of it. Hopefully this opens everyone's eyes in this community, when you are at the park and see signs that this situation might happen that you step in and help because I know I do when I see someone struggling at the park, whether it is a school, parent or nanny.

Do you have children?

[Anonymous]

What was amazing was the way in which the executive director of the ffc responded to the interview. She had a grin on her face like if this was funny. Wth!!!!! I hope the parents are planning to do something. I understand shit happens but as a parent I would be outraged

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What was amazing was the way in which the executive director of the ffc responded to the interview. She had a grin on her face like if this was funny. Wth!!!!! I hope the parents are planning to do something. I understand shit happens but as a parent I would be outraged

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Seriously - PP is commending the center for reporting the incident? Oh yes, very proactive and responsible to make the REQUIRED report after the parents, the police, and a host of helpful bystanders were already aware (and presumably making reports of their own.) If the representatives of this daycare felt the need to make a public statement, they should have limited themselves to taking responsibility for whatever led to this terrible incident and expressing sympathy for the family.