Woodmont Center in Arlington - they let my 3 yo leave without an adult!

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[Post New]10/02/2009 09:07
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Anonymous
My daughter used to take classes at Woodmont and I didn't stay for the class but I still stuck around the center with my younger DS.
[Post New]10/02/2009 09:31
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Anonymous
OP, I would not leave any child younger than school aged -- around 8 -- alone in a facility of that nature. I would stay in the building. If I were to leave a young child in a drop off program, it would need to be run the same a s a nursery school or day acer facility -- with sign out procedures, and adults who know each child and take responsibility for ensuring that each child is handed over to the correct adult at the end of the program. Clearly this gymnastics program is not being run in that manner -- which is FINE -- but that means you need to stay at the building -- right outside the door. I have done that plenty of times for art classes, gymnastics, etc.
[Post New]10/02/2009 09:40
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Anonymous
OP has presented a situation in which she was not there and the adult in charge failed to adequately supervise her child. Whether or not she should have stayed is really a secondary issue. The problem that needs to be dealt with is the lack of responsibility (or sheer stupidity) demonstrated by this employee. Why are you blaming OP instead? Does it make you feel that this couldn't happen to your child?
[Post New]10/02/2009 10:02
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:OP has presented a situation in which she was not there and the adult in charge failed to adequately supervise her child. Whether or not she should have stayed is really a secondary issue. The problem that needs to be dealt with is the lack of responsibility (or sheer stupidity) demonstrated by this employee. Why are you blaming OP instead? Does it make you feel that this couldn't happen to your child?


Again, this is not a daycare or babysitting facility. If the class ended early, there would be no obligation for the teacher to stay with the child.
[Post New]10/02/2009 10:34
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:OP has presented a situation in which she was not there and the adult in charge failed to adequately supervise her child. Whether or not she should have stayed is really a secondary issue. The problem that needs to be dealt with is the lack of responsibility (or sheer stupidity) demonstrated by this employee. Why are you blaming OP instead? Does it make you feel that this couldn't happen to your child?


I don't mean to blame the OP. But I am sharing my own personal opinion, that I would never leave a child younger than about 8 in such a "drop off" class and leave the building, unless it were a licensed daycare center or preschool.
[Post New]10/02/2009 10:35
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Anonymous
And OP says, she confronted the gentleman who "seemed to be in charge". How can you not know exactly who is in charge of your 3 year old's class?
[Post New]10/02/2009 10:46
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP has presented a situation in which she was not there and the adult in charge failed to adequately supervise her child. Whether or not she should have stayed is really a secondary issue. The problem that needs to be dealt with is the lack of responsibility (or sheer stupidity) demonstrated by this employee. Why are you blaming OP instead? Does it make you feel that this couldn't happen to your child?


Again, this is not a daycare or babysitting facility. If the class ended early, there would be no obligation for the teacher to stay with the child.


ITA. What would happen if there was something like a power failure and they had to end class early? Would the teacher be responsible for watching the 3 year-old until the parent returned?
[Post New]10/02/2009 11:03
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Anonymous
OP here. Thanks for the feedback. I have obviously learned my lesson and if I go back, I will not leave the premises again (I think i said that in my original posting by the way).
[Post New]10/02/2009 11:04
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP has presented a situation in which she was not there and the adult in charge failed to adequately supervise her child. Whether or not she should have stayed is really a secondary issue. The problem that needs to be dealt with is the lack of responsibility (or sheer stupidity) demonstrated by this employee. Why are you blaming OP instead? Does it make you feel that this couldn't happen to your child?


Again, this is not a daycare or babysitting facility. If the class ended early, there would be no obligation for the teacher to stay with the child.


ITA. What would happen if there was something like a power failure and they had to end class early? Would the teacher be responsible for watching the 3 year-old until the parent returned?


OP again. The instructors take down your cell phone number in case they need to reach you and you are not in that grim little back room that someone suggested that i sit in for an hour with my 18-mo old.
[Post New]10/02/2009 11:16
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Anonymous
It is NOT uncommon for people to leave their 3/4/5 year olds in a class where there is no parental involvement. I've seen it at the place where we take our kids for gymnastics, and like the OP said, there is a list and you put your phone number so staff can reach you. Also, the staff at this particular place are VERY good about watching out for (briefly) unattended kids, they make sure they do NOT walk outside, and they usually give them a page to color while they wait.

And as someone who taught gymnastics once to kids in that age group, we certainly did not expect all parents to stay for the class. We did expect them to come back and pick them up, but if there was an emergency, we teachers were in charge. We would absolutely be responsible for the kids until the scheduled end of class time, and because MOST people who teach little kids aren't douches, we would stay with the kids until the parents showed up, even if that meant staying after class a bit.
[Post New]10/02/2009 11:16
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP has presented a situation in which she was not there and the adult in charge failed to adequately supervise her child. Whether or not she should have stayed is really a secondary issue. The problem that needs to be dealt with is the lack of responsibility (or sheer stupidity) demonstrated by this employee. Why are you blaming OP instead? Does it make you feel that this couldn't happen to your child?


Again, this is not a daycare or babysitting facility. If the class ended early, there would be no obligation for the teacher to stay with the child.


Correct, but if they do not have a POLICY stating that the parents cannot leave the premisis, they are under obligation to make sure the child does not roam out onto the street. Also, they are under obligation, even if the class ends early, not to release the children a SECOND earlier than the stated end time of the class, especially if there is no POLICY that the parent be on premisis.

This is basic stuff people. I'm a Sunday school teacher at a rinky-dinky church and even we do not allow a child to step foot out of the classroom until we match the child up with the parent that dropped them off via a numbering system. Even in a small church were everyone knows everyone, kids are not allowed to wander off-especially the pre-schoolers. for any organization, to not take the utmost caution with children is irresponsible and opening themselves up to extreme risk.

If I were the OP, I would have had a hard time not going completely ballistic. I would not direct my fury at the teachers, but would have reamed the "adult in charge" and the director.
[Post New]10/02/2009 11:18
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khawthorne
Member Offline
OP, you have every right to be upset. Whether or not you shoulda', coulda', woulda' stayed has NOTHING to do with this.
As a parent of 18 years, a foster mother of 5 years and a daycare provider of 17 years I am saying HUGS to you and you do what you think needs to be done to address this. I agree with taking it higher up.
[Post New]10/02/2009 11:18
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP has presented a situation in which she was not there and the adult in charge failed to adequately supervise her child. Whether or not she should have stayed is really a secondary issue. The problem that needs to be dealt with is the lack of responsibility (or sheer stupidity) demonstrated by this employee. Why are you blaming OP instead? Does it make you feel that this couldn't happen to your child?


Again, this is not a daycare or babysitting facility. If the class ended early, there would be no obligation for the teacher to stay with the child.


ITA. What would happen if there was something like a power failure and they had to end class early? Would the teacher be responsible for watching the 3 year-old until the parent returned?


Ummm yes. Or should they tell them to walk to the closest metro and hitch a ride home?
[Post New]10/02/2009 11:19
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
OP again. The instructors take down your cell phone number in case they need to reach you and you are not in that grim little back room that someone suggested that i sit in for an hour with my 18-mo old.


OP, I'm one of those people -- but I've been in your shoes, and sometimes, when my little one was younger, my older one just didn't take that class because the circumstances just weren't decent. Other times, we've had friends, and taken turns waiting and so on. It's not ideal.

And I'm certainly not "blaming you" or anything like that. But you asked in your first post how other people handled these types of things, and my rule of thumb is, when my child has the maturity to cross the street by himself, and stay at home alone safely for 30 minutes -- then he has the maturity to be left in a low-key drop-off situation. Until then, I leave him but it has to be more secure. The play place at Ikea... sure -- where they sign kids in and out and have wrist bands or whatever. Or a proper preschool situation, of course. But the child has to have the maturity not to just wander off, walk out an open door. IMO.
[Post New]10/02/2009 11:20
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP has presented a situation in which she was not there and the adult in charge failed to adequately supervise her child. Whether or not she should have stayed is really a secondary issue. The problem that needs to be dealt with is the lack of responsibility (or sheer stupidity) demonstrated by this employee. Why are you blaming OP instead? Does it make you feel that this couldn't happen to your child?


Again, this is not a daycare or babysitting facility. If the class ended early, there would be no obligation for the teacher to stay with the child.


ITA. What would happen if there was something like a power failure and they had to end class early? Would the teacher be responsible for watching the 3 year-old until the parent returned?


Ummm yes. Or should they tell them to walk to the closest metro and hitch a ride home?


They probably wouldn't do that... but in a low-key drop off situation, there's not much to prevent a child from kind of latching on to a friend and wandering away with the friend and her parent. And having the worker just not notice, leave and lock up. Or, having a 3 year old who goes to the bathroom and gets locked in because the worker didn't realize everyone hadn't been picked up.
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