Toddler left at Livingston Park by daycare (FCC?)

[Anonymous]

Its hard to believe that providers who wouldn't notice a little person who they spend every day with for many hours was missing for over an hour are really very nurturing, loving people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm one of the PPs who also has a small child in a DC daycare and I think 1238 PP said it best. To the FCC parent(s) who are upset about DCUM's role in all this, get a grip. THere is no "mean girls" nonsense going on here. We all love our children and are horrified and outraged that any place entrusted with their care could be so negligent. I don't know why you would consider that sentiment mean.

We also love our children and are trying to keep our shit together in the midst of this crisis and keep some semblance of normalcy in our children's lives. You have no clue how hard the board and parents are working to deal with this and make institutional changes -- as quickly as possible. I don't consider your "horror and outrage" mean. What I consider mean is the quick judgement and readiness to bring down the whole place and demands for heads to roll. If your kid has not been at FCC for four years, day in and day out, happy, loved, and nurtured, please think for a moment before taking out your axe. And because my kid has been there for four years, loved, happy, and nurtured, this incident is unbelievably painful and horrifying. I've been walking around with a heavy heart since it happened. But I'm not going to burn the place down. That's not a solution I want to teach my children.

As parents who send their kids to daycare/preschool, we all have fears, some more horrible than others. It seems like everyone is projecting their insecurities. If your child is at a daycare/preschool -- or anywhere -- do not for one second think this would never happen to you or someone at your school. There is no institution so perfect.

There are parents who forget their kids in cars: do you think they don't love their kids? Do you think their head should roll? Do you think those parents don't think about their children? Do you think that after the incident the parent says, "Oh, I messed up! I'll just do better next time." No. It is gut wrenching. THIS is gut wrenching. And if anyone thinks the parents, staff, teaches, and board at FCC are thoughtlessly moving forward, you are misinformed.

If FCC is moving forward the way it should, then the teacher(s) responsible for this will be dismissed.

[Anonymous]

what i don't get is how they didn't notice the ACTUAL child. not a head count, not a name on a list. for an HOUR!?!? at our daycare, someone would definitely have been like, "wheres johnny?" immediately, if not within a minute or two the kids aren't nameless faces. something is off about this place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what i don't get is how they didn't notice the ACTUAL child. not a head count, not a name on a list. for an HOUR!?!? at our daycare, someone would definitely have been like, "wheres johnny?" immediately, if not within a minute or two the kids aren't nameless faces. something is off about this place.

Yes, exactly. This is what makes this "mistake" unacceptable. I could MAYBE understand a counting error or an oversight that resulted in a kid being left behind for a few minutes until one of the teachers noticed his absence. But not noticing a child missing until the parent shows up to take him home...unacceptable. As several PPs have pointed out, it suggests that the teachers do not engage the children, do not form emotional connections with them, etc. How else could no one have looked around after 10, 20, even 30 minutes and said, 'wait a minute - where's Johnny?'

And the kid was without shoes and socks on the playground. This facility sounds horrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what i don't get is how they didn't notice the ACTUAL child. not a head count, not a name on a list. for an HOUR!?!? at our daycare, someone would definitely have been like, "wheres johnny?" immediately, if not within a minute or two the kids aren't nameless faces. something is off about this place.

This is an awful story, it never should have happened.

But as a teacher of young children, I can tell you that, while I love and know and value each of my kids, the reason why good daycare centers have counting routines is because it would be easy to not notice a missing kid.

Across the day, and across the week, the list of kids you have varies. Kids come and go, they take the day off, they arrive late, they go home early. By the end of the week, it can be hard to remember whether it was today or yesterday that Johnny's dad came early, or which kid went up to spend a few minutes trying out the 3 year old room or to visit their baby sibling who is nursing with mom.

Which is why you have a procedure. You count the kids when they line up, and double check it with the roster of kids, and then count them again, and then you count as you're walking while watching them like a hawk, and then again at the park 2, 3, 4 times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what i don't get is how they didn't notice the ACTUAL child. not a head count, not a name on a list. for an HOUR!?!? at our daycare, someone would definitely have been like, "wheres johnny?" immediately, if not within a minute or two the kids aren't nameless faces. something is off about this place.

This is an awful story, it never should have happened.



But as a teacher of young children, I can tell you that, while I love and know and value each of my kids, the reason why good daycare centers have counting routines is because it would be easy to not notice a missing kid.

Across the day, and across the week, the list of kids you have varies. Kids come and go, they take the day off, they arrive late, they go home early. By the end of the week, it can be hard to remember whether it was today or yesterday that Johnny's dad came early, or which kid went up to spend a few minutes trying out the 3 year old room or to visit their baby sibling who is nursing with mom.

Which is why you have a procedure. You count the kids when they line up, and double check it with the roster of kids, and then count them again, and then you count as you're walking while watching them like a hawk, and then again at the park 2, 3, 4 times.

Sorry, still don't buy it. The toddler room at my son's daycare has 4 teachers and 9 kids. I guarantee someone would say 'where's Johnny?' and another might reply with one of the scenarios you suggest - left early, visiting another room, etc. shocked that ANYONE could say this is understandable.

I hope all teachers involved - and that glib director from the news story - are fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what i don't get is how they didn't notice the ACTUAL child. not a head count, not a name on a list. for an HOUR!?!? at our daycare, someone would definitely have been like, "wheres johnny?" immediately, if not within a minute or two the kids aren't nameless faces. something is off about this place.

This is an awful story, it never should have happened.



But as a teacher of young children, I can tell you that, while I love and know and value each of my kids, the reason why good daycare centers have counting routines is because it would be easy to not notice a missing kid.

Across the day, and across the week, the list of kids you have varies. Kids come and go, they take the day off, they arrive late, they go home early. By the end of the week, it can be hard to remember whether it was today or yesterday that Johnny's dad came early, or which kid went up to spend a few minutes trying out the 3 year old room or to visit their baby sibling who is nursing with mom.

Which is why you have a procedure. You count the kids when they line up, and double check it with the roster of kids, and then count them again, and then you count as you're walking while watching them like a hawk, and then again at the park 2, 3, 4 times.

Sorry, still don't buy it. The toddler room at my son's daycare has 4 teachers and 9 kids. I guarantee someone would say 'where's Johnny?' and another might reply with one of the scenarios you suggest - left early, visiting another room, etc. shocked that ANYONE could say this is understandable.

I hope all teachers involved - and that glib director from the news story - are fired.

I didn't say it was understandable, I said that teachers need to develop solid counting routine. There's no excuse for what happened, but when we deny something by saying "teachers who care wouldn't do this" we're opening ourselves up for another incident. Instead we need to acknowledge that it's possible to not notice, and not notice for a while, which is why you count, and count, and count, and then count a different way.

This also wasn't a toddler, by DC licensing standards. This was a 2 year old with significantly higher ratios.

[Anonymous]

20:28, and 21:22 here and yes, I agree that they should have been fired on the spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This story is horrifying and my reaction is THANK GOD that my DH and I can afford to live on one income (even though things are very tight) so that I can stay home while my kids are young.

Wow, you just are evil aren't you.

What's evil about a mom that can afford to stay home with her children? I applaud this mom. I would do the same thing!

She's evil for feeling smug that SHE can afford to stay home and letting people who may not be able too know it, on a pot about a horrible situation. Like saying to someone who had a miscarriage, I'm lucky I was able to have a baby. Smug.

[Anonymous]

I've seen FCC kids at livingston park with the daycare staff over the summer and I was always surprised by how relaxed they were - park was always busy with tons of kids and then they bring an nother 30 kids in and the staff seems to relax - puts babies on the ground in the water sprinklers and then step back.

meanwhile, i felt stressed watching my own 2 kids when the park was so crowded...

maybe i'm just paranoid and nuts, but i like to have both my kids in my direct line of sight at all times in public places.

[Anonymous]

OP back. Very strange that this landed on Channel 4 with this board as a source. At any rate, I really hope that this leads to productive changes not just at FCC but other daycares. The counting system seems flawed: maybe written name checks would be better? Just counting seems so easy to mess up; frankly, I can't imagine handling all those kids every day and taking them off campus and back. Maybe those fluourescent vests some other preschool classes have could help too (as would lower ratios - but that doesn't seem likely to happen!). It seems that there have been too many incidents like this over the years around this area.

I also shared with my nanny the various appreciative comments of posters on this board. I feel badly for the school, the employees, and the families. Still, just the thought of this happening makes me so upset and angry. This is a big deal, and it is good that it is getting the attention that it is.

[Anonymous]

FCC mom, it's the PP here. I think you are criticizing posters here unfairly. Of course we're judgmental about where and with whom we leave our children! How could anyone not be? And believe me, I'd be a billion times more judgmental if this had happened at my kids' daycare. I've been a parent at the same NWDC daycare since 2005, where the kids go out twice a day including to neighborhood parks. If they lost sight of one of my children or any of their classmates, I wouldn't rest until the maximum punitive measures had been imposed and until provisions were in place to ensure nothing like this happened again. Protecting the reputation of the daycare would be the LAST thing on my mind... as would the notion of keeping my kids there.

[Anonymous]

Child left at park

Poorly maintained building on 43rd Street causing risks to kids (holes in walls, broken stair gates, Gates not being used, etc)

Severely Burned child

Incident where parent observed child being shaken

Incident where male teacher yells at student

Communications Director in charge of 43rd Street building (qualified to run a center?)

Staff certifications lapse

Pattern of Exec Dir correspondence that downplays issues and seems to place blame elsewhere

Occasions where there is no leadership or lead teachers at Western Ave location and parents refuse to drop off their children until leadership is there. Communications Director from 43rd Street comes over...who qualified is overseeing 43rd Street?

Exec Dir leaves early to teach yoga classes. Wasn't even present when most recent incident occurred. An Exec Dir should be first in and last out in my opinion.

City recently inspects 43rd Street location and finds many problems (access to cleaning supplies, broken faucets in kitchen)

Staff person put on probation for yelling at child after mother witnesses it

Staffer fired because certification lapse but possibly Exec Dir fault for not completing paperwork in a timely manner


Now some of this is absolute fact and some is from emails and chatter between FCC parents but seriously...this is more of a leadership issue than a staff issue. The Executive Director needs to go and perhaps some Board members. These are other people's children for cryin out loud! This isn't adult play time where you get to feel important because you are on a board or in a leadership position!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what i don't get is how they didn't notice the ACTUAL child. not a head count, not a name on a list. for an HOUR!?!? at our daycare, someone would definitely have been like, "wheres johnny?" immediately, if not within a minute or two the kids aren't nameless faces. something is off about this place.

This is an awful story, it never should have happened.

But as a teacher of young children, I can tell you that, while I love and know and value each of my kids, the reason why good daycare centers have counting routines is because it would be easy to not notice a missing kid.

Across the day, and across the week, the list of kids you have varies. Kids come and go, they take the day off, they arrive late, they go home early. By the end of the week, it can be hard to remember whether it was today or yesterday that Johnny's dad came early, or which kid went up to spend a few minutes trying out the 3 year old room or to visit their baby sibling who is nursing with mom.

Which is why you have a procedure. You count the kids when they line up, and double check it with the roster of kids, and then count them again, and then you count as you're walking while watching them like a hawk, and then again at the park 2, 3, 4 times.

Why not just learn their names? That way you could go down the roster. look at them in line and check them off by name? That seems much more organized then doing multiple counts hoping to get the same number. Are there too many rotating / casual teachers to be able to know the kids by name?

[Anonymous]

I hope Channel 4 News is still monitoring this thread, as it seems they might have been from the start, because someone needs to take a look into the list of accusations/incidents posted by 23:44 and do a more in-depth story about this. Who fires the director, because new leadership really seems like the answer to me. Honestly, fixing the problems at this school sounds like more work than would normally fall to the role of a board and parents. The PP who said we have no idea how hard the board and parents are working on this...I mean, come on, if I had to work that hard to make my child's school feel safe, I think I'd consider going to another school. I think that whoever hired these teachers doesn't have good judgement...is this the Director? I look forward to seeing how this place changes for the better.