Just got a call from DD's preschool...They left her in the classroom

[HIU8]

The lead teacher called to tell me that they accidentally left DD in the bathroom inside the classroom and went to music class. I'm not sure how long DD was alone, but she walked into the hallway as the class next door was coming back and that teacher radio'd her teacher and he came and got her. He said she was crying (as I would expect). We have been at this school for 5 years now and nothing like this has ever happened. I'm in shock. My baby was LEFT alone in a classroom. There are many classrooms in the hallway where the preschool is and the directors office is open and you have to pass it to get out of the preschool area (but the director is not always in her office) and any child can walk out the preschool door (it's locked from the outside, not the inside) into the larger community center, but not completely outside the building (as alarms would go off if she did so).

I thanked him for telling me (as he was apologizing left and right and I could tell that he was upset about it b/c he has NEVER done anything like this before). He wanted me to know 1) b/c I should know and 2) so I can talk to DD about it when she brings it up later today.

Ok, so the shocked part of me says pull her from the school as of today. The rational part of me knows that it can happen, but doesn't expect it to happen to my baby. Part of me wants to go off on the teacher b/c I'm flipped out (and I know that's not the way to handle it). Ok, I'm shaking now.....

[rlu]

Breathe. You've been there 5 years - until today were you happy? Has this happened before (to any child)? If the one class was just coming back while your DD class was heading over to music, sounds like she was only alone a few minutes at most.

[twowhat?]

Wow, that's awful. I wouldnl't pull her, but I would probably insist on a meeting with the director and teacher so that they can put a procedure in place so that it never happens again. I would probably also insist that the teacher take some one-on-one time with your DD to assure her that it will not happen again and to also let her know what she can do next time (even though there will never be a next time).

It seems to me just a horrible mistake and they did the right thing by letting you know. I'd also be concerned if this had happened during a fire drill or something similar. The school needs to make sure you are comfortable with how they are going to address the situation.

[TwinFoxes]

Oh no! Your poor DD. :( At that age I know I would have been freaked out and crying.

[hellokitty]

Ugh, that is awful! What is the classroom policy about this? I have volunteered at DS2's preschool before and we ALWAYS check the bathroom before leaving the classroom AND we must leave the bathroom door open. I am assuming that this is to avoid the situation your poor dd was in. I would have a talk with the teacher in charge about what happened and what their policy is. If they don't have one, then I would suggest one similar to the one I just mentioned at our preschool to prevent something like this from happening again.

[Green_Tea]

Breathe. You've been there 5 years - until today were you happy? Has this happened before (to any child)? If the one class was just coming back while your DD class was heading over to music, sounds like she was only alone a few minutes at most.

:yeahthat: :yeahthat: :yeahthat:

[pinkmomagain]

Wow, that's awful. I wouldnl't pull her, but I would probably insist on a meeting with the director and teacher so that they can put a procedure in place so that it never happens again. I would probably also insist that the teacher take some one-on-one time with your DD to assure her that it will not happen again and to also let her know what she can do next time (even though there will never be a next time).

It seems to me just a horrible mistake and they did the right thing by letting you know. I'd also be concerned if this had happened during a fire drill or something similar. The school needs to make sure you are comfortable with how they are going to address the situation.

I agree with this 100%. Sorry this happened to your dd, but the way you handle it in front of her will have a lot to do with how she processes it.

[Clarity]

Wow, that's awful. I wouldnl't pull her, but I would probably insist on a meeting with the director and teacher so that they can put a procedure in place so that it never happens again. I would probably also insist that the teacher take some one-on-one time with your DD to assure her that it will not happen again and to also let her know what she can do next time (even though there will never be a next time).

It seems to me just a horrible mistake and they did the right thing by letting you know. I'd also be concerned if this had happened during a fire drill or something similar. The school needs to make sure you are comfortable with how they are going to address the situation.

This. Exactly.
If it's a quality program that you've loved for 5 years, I wouldn't pull her. My girls are in center care but I am typically pretty forgiving of mistakes that are not life-threatening or dangerously unsafe. I discuss issues with the teacher and director and use them as "training opportunities".

[HIU8]

I plan to speak with the teacher tomorrow morning at drop off (pickup is carpool only). I know the teacher is also shaken up by it (I could tell by his voice). What gets me is that the bathrooms are in the classroom and they are open (they are the small toilets with half walls so an adult can see over the top, but the kids can't). I have to find out from DD if she went to use the bathroom without letting a teacher know (as they were getting ready to leave) or if she was the last one called to use the bathroom and the teachers literally forgot to check (with 15 kids in the class I actually can see how that can happen).

I really want to make sure this does not happen again. I was considering moving DD as of September due to teacher choice for next year, and IF I keep her at this school I need to know that something like this will not happen again. I want to know step by step procedures (and they must have some in place) to make sure my child is never left alone again.

[llama8]

It sounds like an honest mistake. I feel bad for you and your DD, but I don't think it is a reason to pull her from a school that you have loved for 5 years. Once you calm down and talk with the teacher (who I am sure feels horrible about it) it will pass.

I would pull from the school if they didn't alert you to this or tried to cover it up. Their honesty in this situation is positive.

[anonomom]

FWIW, this happened to me when I was in Kindergarten. It was unpleasant enough that I still remember it 30 years later, but it wasn't a really scarring event.

I'd think speaking to the school to get a clearer idea of how it happened is a good idea, but beyond that, I probably wouldn't do much. I think it's an excellent sign that they called you to let you know what happened. I'm pretty sure my parents never heard of my own bathroom incident (I was too embarrassed to speak up).

[fattytuna]

I'm so sorry this happened. I probably wouldn't pull her out of a program you love, as good preschools are not easy to find.

I wanted to ask though, honest mistake aside, is there not a head-count policy when moving children from one room/area to another? Maybe you just didn't mention it in your post, I know you are pretty shaken up by this, either that or the teacher miscounted. But that seems like a very simple step to take before leaving a classroom in addition to visual verification. I would bring that up with the teacher/director if that's not already in place. I volunteer about twice a month in DD/DS's preschool. The teachers always do a head-count when taking the children to gross motor, music, or drills and on the way back. During fire/earthquake drills they would count multiple times because all the kids (preschool, kinder and grades 1+) gather in the big elementary playground.

[ABO Mama]

A head count is the easiest way to make sure everyone is present. Every time the kids go somewhere, line up and do a head count.

[Melanie]

Since they were upfront, honest and extremely apologetic, in addition to your complete happiness prior, I would not pull her. Think of how much more diligent they will be!

[Snow mom]

I'd think speaking to the school to get a clearer idea of how it happened is a good idea, but beyond that, I probably wouldn't do much. I think it's an excellent sign that they called you to let you know what happened.

:yeahthat: There have been a small handful of "child left unattended" incidents at our daycare. We've been notified of this issue despite it not directly involving our DC. They have a camera monitoring system so they can actually say the periods were between 13-42 seconds (something like that--no really long periods.) I appreciate their honesty in disclosing that this has happened. In fact, they have reported all issues to licensing and now are being monitored to make sure they have an effective plan in place for making sure children are never left. I am sure when things like this happened at my old daycare they wouldn't have been covering it up.

Head counts are a good idea, but that was the old policy that led to the incidents. Now teachers need to not only count the children but tick off each individual (this prevents double counting and thinking you have everyone.) Also, the directors have a much more visible role in checking the role sheets and children present. There is a lot of emphasis on transitions of course but there are also a lot of other opportunities to catch problems.

We obviously have chosen not to leave the center. If I were you I'd react to how they handle the incident rather than the fact that it happened in the first place. Legally I think they are supposed to report to licensing and I would want them to follow the rules on this. Also, I'd want to meet with the director to hear what policies they are implementing (unless they were to address this to the entire school.) I trust transparency much more than anything else.