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Preschool and Daycare Discussion
To the Parents of the 2-Year Old Girl Who Was Left Alone today at P St Playground by JCC in Dupont
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Anonymous
What happened is terrible and I would pull my child, but you, PP need to go get some anger management courses. |
Anonymous
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I'm a parent of a child at the JCC. I've had wonderful experiences at this preschool and despite this incident would highly recommend it. We (the parents) just received an email explaining the incident and what is being done about it. Apparently the head counts were done prior to leaving the park by both teachers, but their was a scuffle between the children that resulted in the change in count prior to leaving the park. The safety procedures are being re-enforced and tightened as well as other precautions such as adding an additional teacher in the affected classroom when they leave the school and an independent security audit.
In general, the JCC has been a wonderful experience for us both in terms of communication from the staff and in terms of the quality of care that my son receives. I see all of the teachers and subs there doing head counts frequently and safety is a priority of the school. I know that this is just a horrible and heartbreaking situation, but having gotten to know the staff at the JCC I can say that I'm sure that they are also horrified and heartbroken. |
Anonymous
my child went to the J and i have mixed feelings about the experience. i think some of the classroom teachers are fab and the philosophy and values of the school are great. BUT, i think the admin, both in the preschool and the J overall, are mediocre at best. i don't think enough money or attention is paid to protocols/policies/procedures. i am not too surprised by this story, to be honest. the admin at the J needs to wake up and fast. |
Anonymous
| It gives me the chills just thinking. Very happy to hear that the school sent an e-mail to all parents to inform them of this, but the explanation of "there was a scuffle between the children that resulted in the change in the count prior to leaving the park" does not satisfy me personally. The number of children they took to the park should be the SAME number of children they took back to the center, unless a parent met them at the playground and took their child home. Does anyone else have a problem with that explanation? I am sure they are very loving and nurturning, or the waiting list would not be so long, but as a parent, I would stay on them so they don't relax their proceedures after things cool down weeks and months from now. |
sarahr@washingtondcjcc.org
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I'm Sarah Rabin Spira, the Preschool Director at the Washington DCJCC. I'd like to share with you the email that I shared with our parents this morning in response to this incident. I realize that serious concerns have been raised, and we have addressed them internally and externally. I am happy to answer your concerns directly, too. My contact information is at the bottom of this email.
______________________________________________________ Dear parents, I'm writing to let you know of an incident at the park yesterday where a child in the three-year olds' class was left behind when the class left to return to the 16th Street J for lunch and the Code Green drill. The child is safe, but this was an unacceptable lapse in our safety protocols which we are addressing, as you will see below. The circumstances are that both of the child's teachers were at the park and lined the children up on the rope. They both counted 15 children, the number they had at that time, handled a scuffle between three children over where they wanted to be, and set off to return for the J. At this point, the child was left at the park, and a recount was not done on the walk or back at the J. It is our policy that all teachers must count their children every few minutes, either inside the classroom or out. This should have been done and was not. A parent at the park called the J to alert us to the child's being left, and we ran to the park to retrieve her. Police were called, and a report was filed. They have documented it but are not taking further action at this time. We are also filing the appropriate paperwork, noting our responsibility in this incident, internally with our Security Director and CEO, as well as with OSSE, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, our licensing agency. We have two tracks of response. The first is the class involved will have a third teacher assigned for the immediate future, especially when leaving the building. In addition, both teachers will have a note in their personnel files about the incident, and we are determining whether further action is needed. The second is a broader strengthening and revising of our policies for the entire school. To this end, we will do the following: 1) Count the children every five minutes, with an update posted to their white boards every 30 minutes, or upon return to the classroom. Both teachers (including subs and floaters) must perform a count and verify with each other. 2) I will also spot-check classes in their rooms and other places (inside the J and out) to count children and verify how many there are and how many there should be. I will also be verifying that the teacher have their emergency bags with them when they leave the Preschool area. These bags have walkie-talkies, first aid kits and emergency forms. In addition, there is at least one teacher cell phone with the group, to be used only in the event of an emergency. 3) Parents must use the class sign-in and sign-out sheets to make sure we have an accurate list. Please do not let your child scribble on it. If a sheet or a pen isn't available, please let a staff member know right away. 4) When the children leave the building, the front desk attendant will record a count of the children in the class group and will check it against the number when they return. The teachers will communicate any changes (such as a child being dropped off at or picked up from the park) to the front desk attendant. 5) Daniel M will make sure each class has a posted roster and schedule for Enrichments so that teachers and subs will know who needs to be where and when. We have a floater assigned to collect the children from their classrooms, bring them to the enrichment classes and then pick them up after, but the information has not always been conveyed consistently to subs (who may have the class at 4:30 or 5:00 pm and may not know that a child is at karate, for example, and will be returning to the classroom after). 6) Our Closing procedures are being revised as follows: Beginning May 12, 2011, we will close only in Preschool classrooms. We will no longer close (5:30-6pm) in the gym. Our revised schedule is as follows: (notes about classroom locations not included in DCUM post) Teachers will bring class clipboards to these classrooms at 5:30 pm. They will be kept close to the door. Whoever is closing in that room (sub or full-time teacher) needs to make sure the class clipboards are returned before they leave for the day. We will inform the Washington DCJCC Front Desk of our updated schedule and will do our best to inform them of any last-minute changes. The Front Desk phone is 202-518-9400. If a parent needs to reach the school after 5:30 pm, the best numbers to call are the Preschool Lobby phones: 202.777.3224 (Classrooms 3–4, Tuttim and Yaelim), 202.777.3220 (Classrooms 1–2, Kofim and Siporim). These policies and changes will be discussed at our staff meeting this afternoon. We hope that by creating cross-checks in our safety procedures, we can ensure the security of the children as well as aiding the teachers in doing their jobs. I am also working with an outside expert to go over our safety plan and look for new ways to improve them. Any changes that result from this will be communicated to parents. I apologize to the parent of the child involved and am both grateful she was not harmed and resolved to do everything I can to make sure it never happens again. The teachers are disappointed in themselves, and I agree there is no one safer than a teacher who made a mistake because they are the most vigilant in ensuring it never happens again. I have faith and trust in our teachers to work diligently to prevent an event like this from ever recurring. I am happy to address your concerns. In addition, our CEO, Arna Meyer Mickelson (arnam@washingtondcjcc.org, 202.777.3261) and our CPO, Josh Ford (joshf@washingtondcjcc.org, 202.777.3249), have been part of these discussions and can answer your questions if needed. Thank you, Sarah Sarah Rabin Spira Director, Early Childhood, Youth & Family Programs Washington DCJCC SarahR@washingtondcjcc.org t. (202) 777-3278 f. (202) 518-9420 http://washingtondcjcc.org/kids-and-parents/ |
Anonymous
| It's commendable and transparent that the director posted here, but I still am dumbstruck that such an incident could occur at any decent daycare, and I think the explanation that the teachers got distracted by a "scuffle" among the kids over places on the rope line is simply ridiculous and it would be totally unacceptable to me if my kids went to the school. Kids "scuffle" all the time... or they wander off, or sit down on the sidewalk because they don't want to watch. To say that's why a child was lost is just not remotely reassuring. A teacher who loses a 3yo simply because they are all behaving like 3yos is not well suited to his/her job. A school that doesn't notice a missing 3yo left behind in a park for a half hour needs more than a few additional headcounts. |
sarahr@washingtondcjcc.org
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This is Sarah Rabin Spira again.
I agree, which is why we are evaluating all of our policies to make sure that we have the best teachers and plans in place to prevent a child's separation from a group. Yesterday's incident was unacceptable, and we all feel terrible about it as well as resolved to never let it happen again. |
Anonymous
| Is anyone struck by the ratio of 15 kids to 2 teachers?? I am not familiar with what the rules or norms are for that age but that seems wholly insufficient. Is this typical of 3s rooms; is this the ratio at the JCC? |
sarahr@washingtondcjcc.org
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The ratio in DC is 8:1, with 16 kids max, for children who are 3-years old. At 4 years old, the ratio goes to 10:1, with 20 kids max (though we have 16 kids in our 4s and PreK classes).
For 2s, it's 4:1 (12 max) For 2 1/2s, it's 6:1 (12 max) -SRS |
Anonymous
That is the legal maximum. Many preschools, including Apple Tree, have much better ratios. |
Anonymous
I thought AppleTree had 20 kids with 3 teachers for the PreS classroom - does this violate DC regulatiions? I know MV is planning for 18 in their PreS class with 3 teachers And I thought IT had 20? How is this? |
Anonymous
How long ago was this? I know that the current director (who has posted here) has been in place for a few years. Prior to her, the administration did seem to have a number of problems. I have had nothing but good experiences with the administration and feel that they are emotionally invested in the children there. We had the unfortunate circumstance to come from a different preschool prior to attending the JCC where the administration truly didn't even know or care to know the children and felt that parents should feel privileged to use their services. This is NOT the case at the JCC. |
Anonymous
I'm sure these are the legal ratios. As a parent, I would not be comfortable with this ratio on an outing to a public park. One child trips and falls, one adult tends to him/her. The remaining one adult is responsible for the safety of 15 3-year olds? |
Anonymous
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I was at Stead Park when this happened and was the one who called the JCC to tell them we think a child was left behind. I am also a former JCC parent as my older son went there for 3 years. First, to the parents of this child, please know that humanity shined its light on her that day. A wonderful woman stood with her while I called the JCC and a grandfather called the police. After the JCC staff left the park with the child, everyone was in shock of what had just happened with so many "what ifs" going thru our heads (just like everyone on this forum). I am thankful she turned to an older woman for help and didnt wander off. And even then I believe she wouldnt have gotten far b/c there are so many eyes watching the exit ramp at all times.
What happened was unacceptable and frightening. The response I saw first hand from the JCC was compeltely in-line with the situation. They have explained to the parents, community, police and governing board what happened. They do deserve to get beat up but not sure what other action they can take in addition to the one outlined in the Directors response. It was a horrible mistake and every parents nightmare. And the JCC has accepted responsibility with intended changes and enhanced protocols. |
Anonymous
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For me, accepting responsibility isn't enough here.
I simply don't understand how 30 minutes can elapse, and the teachers didn't notice the missing child! If they hadn't received the call, I wonder when and if they would have noticed at all. This scares the hell out of me. |