I found my son alone at daycare today. I called the supervisor, should I do more???

Question

My son was standing in the middle of the room by himself as I watched from the doorway. The caretaker was outside setting up an alarm with a infant in her arms without a coat. I heard her yelling at my son to come outside with her. (He has no coat on.) She was gone long enough for me to walk this, get his coat on, pack up his diaper bag, and go down a flight of stairs before she figured out he was even gone. Previously, I found him alone with an infant playing with the water in the bathroom. This place was highly recommended by a pharmacist at the hospital I would at. I phone the supervisor but all she said she would do is look into it and get back with me. I am afraid that the worker may figure out who is complaining about her and "get back" at me by doing something to my son. My mother says I'm crazy and should have kept my mouth shut.

Answer 1

Kelly, The best thing you have as a mother is your intuition. You will find that time and time again it is critical for you to listen to your inner voice. I also believe that god (I'm not religious necessarily) sends us little messages as signs to help divert bigger catastrophes. These two incidents themselves seen innocent enough, but together it is smoke ... and where there is smoke, there is fire. Think about it, what are the odds that you would just happen upon the only two incidents of this kind? The odds are ZERO.

Wouldn't you just kick yourself if something happened and your first thought was "I knew it". Life throws us all kinds of unexpected and unforseen curveballs, but when you are lucky enough to be warned or your mothers "little voice" speaks to you - do yourself a favor and listen. In other words, move your son IMMEDIATELY to another facility.

Also, do not feel guilty about putting your soon in childcare. Cassandra may be lucky enough to get to stay home with her child, but not all of us have that option. My son has a wonderful caregiver and he is a happy well adjusted child.

Oh yeah...make sure you call the state and make a formal complaint. You have been lucky enough to save your son, but you still have a responsibility to speak up to help those other mothers who aren't as lucky as you've been to see with your own eyes (not once, but twice) that this place obviously needs looking into.

Good luck finding a new wonderful place for your son !!

Answer 2

Switch daycares. Now. I personally would switch even if there was no problem just because I didn't get response and feedback from the supervisor. Your concerns should be given the proper attention and so should your children. We yanked our daughter out of a daycare (also highly recommended) because she was getting hurt too often and refused to eat at the daycare. There were just little things at first but one day she came home with a black eye and bruises all over her face. She "fell off a bouncy seat". That may have happened but even if it did someone should have been watching her better. I had to skip a week of class and work because we couldn't find a new daycare that soon but it was worth my daughter being safe. At her new daycare she rarely gets hurt (and they report even the slightest scratch or bump) and eats like a horse just like at home. This time when you pick your daycare I'd suggested checking their state rating, history of complaints, and dropping in randomly for your visit. If you have to schedule your visit then it's a no go. They shouldn't have anything to hide and they should have enough staff to have an extra to show you around. Good luck and always trust your super mommy sense.

Answer 3

Okay, I would have done what you did, called who you called and NEVER brought my son back there again.
I would not take any chances here. If you have found him unsupervised before this time then I would say that it is something that is happening on a regular basis.
If you do take him back I would show up unexpectedly, like 30 minutes after you drop him off, or on a lunch break...things like that.
But I would begin in the morning with asking my mom to watch him while I look for a new daycare.

Answer 4

Find a new daycare right away! I don't know what the laws are like where you live, but there should be minimum staff-to-child ratios so child-care providers should not have to leave children alone while completing other duties. Try to find an accredited daycare for your son, and contact the local authorities about this one before something terrible happens to one of the other children there.

Answer 5

You should definitely look into the facility. Check if there are any other complaints. Call the Better Business Bureau and tell them what happened. Also Licensing Daycare in your state would love to know about this. Kids can get into bad situations so quickly that even if left alone for just a few seconds, they can hurt themselves and what to speak of someone grabbing them. This is gross negligence and I would remove my child so quickly from that center. Clearly this "establishment" needs to be reviewed by their licensing agents to operate by the safety guidelines of your state before a child is seriously injured.

Answer 6

1. Change daycares. NOW.
2. All states have an agency that is responsible for licensing day care centers. Find out the number for the one in your state and call them. Write them a letter if you have to. It may seem like nothing is happening but if other parents speak up about the same problem they will look into it.

Answer 7

Get your son out of this daycare center and find another one PRONTO! Your son is at risk here. Believe in your gut instinct. If you're afraid the worker will retaliate on your son if you call her supervisor, you're probably right.
Children DIE in day care centers from vindictive workers.

Frankly, I would write down the dates and times of every instance I could remember where you saw problems like these happening. Write down the worker's name, exactly what happened, and the date and time. Then find another day care center for your son. Next, call the state supervising agency and let them know what you observed. These are serious violations of safety standards and training of its employees.

Please... get your son out of this place as soon as possible.

Answer 8

time to move to a new day care. The person who told you to basically quit your job and be a mother does not live in the year 2006. Even if you are married, most families can't make it on one salary.

the answer is simple find a new day care center. This one although recommended isn't any good for your child. In fact its very dangerous to your child. Leaving a kid alone is criminal, and telling him to go outside without a coat is not caring for your child. If he is old enough a pre-school might be in order.

Answer 9

I'd have lost my ever loving mind!!! Kudo's for the restraint with your son present. If it were me, I'd let every parent with a child know that it happened and has happened before and pull my child from their care. Also, you can report them (not sure to who, Human Services I think), as all day care centers are under strict scruteny, and most are Govt. subsidized. Find a new child care provider, those clowns should'nt even be watching over a couple of stuffed animals much less children.

Answer 10

I would have called her supervisor to tell her I was pulling my child from the day care service and then I would tell her why. I WOULD NOT send my child back there. I have three of my own and I know people have to work. It is hard enough to work and know you are away from your child. It is miserable to work, not knowing if your child is safe. I would change daycare providers and even make a few surprise visits, to make sure they are doing there jobs right. Good luck.