I also doubt it was as long as an hour although it could have been. Has anyone asked the school? Generally the kids could be back as late as 5:15 although a PP says they were back at 5. It's possible she was there until 6pm but the child probably noticed her friends were gone much sooner than an hour.

Fundamentally, it's just too many kids in a group and not enough adults who actually know the kids and their names.

Also, when your method of keeping track of kids is counting the kids and not a list of names, then you will have issues.
In this instance, because there was an extra child in that group that was not typically part of the group, the protocols all fell apart. Yes, I'm sure they did count the number of kids 4 times as they are supposed to, but it didn't take into account that Larla was in the group too.

Anonymous wrote:If this is true, it should be reported to OSSE. That really gets the day cares focused on solving the problem. Several years ago I witnessed a day care worker yanking at a child and telling her to shut up and calling OSSE meant the school's director was on the phone with me the same day.

The school self-reported that day.

It really, really bothers me that Franklin has managed to have this same thing go wrong twice. Borders on unbelievable. At the same time, I think some posters are acting like this is a fly-by-night operation that might not be following basic safety protocols. Its not. It is a high end facility that is, in many ways, one of the most impressive preschools I have ever visited. (For example, I have never encountered a preschool that has an art program even close to on par with Franklin).

I don't think anything needs to be done to "get[] the day care[] focused on solving the problem." The school self-reported, has notified every parent in the school, and I'm sure will spend the next week in meetings revisiting how to address this situation. In addition, the adults who found the child called the police. I am sure that there will be a whole new set of protocols and safeguards put in place within days.

The real question is how the hell did this happen twice at a place that nominally does things correctly? What is depressing and upsetting about this case isn't that there are some shoddy day cares out there - Franklin is not one - it is that even if you're the type of parent who has the means and willingness to shell out $25,000+ to send your kids to preschool, and you choose a daycare in a rich neighborhood where every kid in the class has two parents with graduate degrees, this stuff can still happen.

Also agree with the earlier poster that Franklin has a particular issue with crafting a meaningful solution. You would think the immediate reaction would be to cancel off-site activity. But Franklin really works only if it has access to Chesapeake Park and to the woods behind the school. If they keep all their kids on site, their outdoor space is way too small.

It could not have been that long. I was at the school when the kids got back and it was after 5. If it was over an hour, no one came to pick up the kid before the school closed.

Anonymous wrote:I have my kids at the school and the faculty is great. There was no neglect or ill-will here. It was a mistake. But mistakes happen in situations like this. There are a lot of kids at that playground. So, maybe going to the playground just doesn't work.

How does a kid remain unaccounted for for over an HOUR?!?

BTW, this is one reason why Montessori is terrible for younger children. The teacher-student ratio is just too low.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have my kids at the school and the faculty is great. There was no neglect or ill-will here. It was a mistake. But mistakes happen in situations like this. There are a lot of kids at that playground. So, maybe going to the playground just doesn't work.

Thing is, there are mistakes and there are MISTAKES. Something could have happened to this child. One hour?! This could have been one of our kids. Clearly, there is no ill-will here... but some might argue that is deeply negligent.

+1 Plus, Franklin's whole model depends on proximity to the park and woods. It is in a convenient urban location, but they need to get the kids outdoors in order for the model to work.

Anonymous wrote:I have my kids at the school and the faculty is great. There was no neglect or ill-will here. It was a mistake. But mistakes happen in situations like this. There are a lot of kids at that playground. So, maybe going to the playground just doesn't work.

Thing is, there are mistakes and there are MISTAKES. Something could have happened to this child. One hour?! This could have been one of our kids. Clearly, there is no ill-will here... but some might argue that is deeply negligent.

I have my kids at the school and the faculty is great. There was no neglect or ill-will here. It was a mistake. But mistakes happen in situations like this. There are a lot of kids at that playground. So, maybe going to the playground just doesn't work.

If this is true, it should be reported to OSSE. That really gets the day cares focused on solving the problem. Several years ago I witnessed a day care worker yanking at a child and telling her to shut up and calling OSSE meant the school's director was on the phone with me the same day.

Same thing has happened at Stead Park a few years back, more than once, with DCJCC kids. Thankgoodness for the First Baptist Church CDC people (our old daycare) who found and returned the kids both times. It smarts more when it is a facility you considered for your own kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe this.

Why? Because some random person is going to spend time to make up a story to intentionally malign franklin? I fail to understand your skepticism. I am the pp whose nanny (and child) also relayed this story to me when I go home from work. Apparently, it was quite traumatic both for the girl and those who witnessed this. Based on when my kids go to the park, this would have happened late afternoon (probably after 4 p.m.)

OP is doing a public service. I certainly would want to know about this and obviously the school needs to further improve their procedures. Perhaps they take too many kids at a time to the park.

Uh, I think that PP meant "I don't believe this" like "holy shit, not again."

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe this.

Why? Because some random person is going to spend time to make up a story to intentionally malign franklin? I fail to understand your skepticism. I am the pp whose nanny (and child) also relayed this story to me when I go home from work. Apparently, it was quite traumatic both for the girl and those who witnessed this. Based on when my kids go to the park, this would have happened late afternoon (probably after 4 p.m.)

OP is doing a public service. I certainly would want to know about this and obviously the school needs to further improve their procedures. Perhaps they take too many kids at a time to the park.

Do you their license will be revoked?
They must be shitting in their pants.
It is ironic because the owners are stingy to their employees.

This is indeed true. My nanny was there too and saw it. My three year old was even telling me about the girl crying. I was going to post as well but my nanny wasn't certain which school it was.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So they forgot a student at the park two years ago, tightened protocol so it wouldn't happen again, and it happened again anyway?! I don't understand how this is possible. They aren't supposed to leave until they check the class list, and there are extra people to help find kids.

She was not on the class list. The kids leave the park at two different times. She was on the class list to leave in the first group. She requested and received permission to leave with the second group instead, but nobody moved her name from the first class list to the second. So, the issue isn't that they didn't follow the protocol, its that giving her permission to leave with a different group created a hole in the protocol.

A 3 year old "requested and received permission?" What does that even mean? Who are you writing so formally about this incident? Sketchy all around.

This is clearly someone with inside knowledge, maybe the director. As the parent of a 3 year-old (and someone who has sent 2 older kids through Montessori and therefore "gets" the Montessori independence ethos), letting a 3 year old make their own decisions about whether to stay with her own class is insane. Not just because it can blow up in your fact like this, but because even Montessori kids have to do what the group is doing sometimes.

Um, I also said the director made a "horrendous decision," so if I'm the director, I'm pretty self-loathing.