2.9 Year Old Problem Child Ran Away

[Febby]

I'm not really buying that the mom "laughed it off". I'd flip out. Who wouldn't? Seriously! "Oh your child was lost for 20 minutes"........I can't envision inserting a casual motherly laugh here. Doesn't compute.

With some of the things I've seen from parents, I'd buy that story. True, most parents would flip out, but I've had parents who either don't care or think it's funny/cute when their children misbehave for other people.

The fact that she was missing for 20 minutes almost concerned me more. At my center, we're required to do a head count at least every ten minutes when we're outside.

Would a child-proof latch be legal in your state? Or what about a combination lock and you could give the code to all your staff and parents?

I would also send a letter home and remind parents to make sure they close the gate behind them.

[Play Care]

Yes this. OP, you really should pm MV for advice on the s@@t storm that is likely coming your way from licensing. I'm sorry this happened to you.

20 minutes is an insanely LONG TIME to not notice a child is missing.
Fix your gate immediately. Not tomorrow, right now. Install a new latch. Get a contact alarm on the gate and all doors.

I'm not so sure I'd rush to terminate the child. Yes, she is a liability, but honestly, your staff's failure to notice she was gone and your lack of security is a bigger liability. I'd be inclined to terminare the staff involved as well.

This.
Moms reaction is meaningless to me. This happened on your watch, mom wasn't there and it wasn't her responsibility. According to your op, you knew she was a runner. The time to have termed was the first few times it happened (even though you caught it right away) and you realized she was a runner.
I'm sorry it happened but I agree with Sugar, you need to make changes NOW.

[Crystal]

Yes this. OP, you really should pm MV for advice on the s@@t storm that is likely coming your way from licensing. I'm sorry this happened to you.

20 minutes is an insanely LONG TIME to not notice a child is missing.
Fix your gate immediately. Not tomorrow, right now. Install a new latch. Get a contact alarm on the gate and all doors.

I'm not so sure I'd rush to terminate the child. Yes, she is a liability, but honestly, your staff's failure to notice she was gone and your lack of security is a bigger liability. I'd be inclined to terminare the staff involved as well.

I agree. I was just wondering how FOUR staff members were present and not one noticed her run out of the gate. I did read the OP as saying it took 20 minutes to find her, not that she had actually been gone and unnoticed for 20 minutes, but regardless, 20 minutes is a long time to be missing and she had to have been gone for some time prior to being noticed or she would not havemade it as far as she did.

[CraftyMom]

I think MV's post was in the private section, so you probably can't post the link for that conversation. But she may not mind pm'ing and sharing her story

[rosieteddy]

I always use a latch for the gate into the playyard.Usually there is a whole under the latch .I used a easy to open for adults but hard for children. Accidents can happen so quickly I would not let this child out of sight.An adult should shadow her if you are keeping her.I also had a seperate play space for infants a pen 3 sets wide with a small slide and toys maybe that could be used.

[daycare]

Sorry I couldn't help but notice that you said you had 4 staff plus yourself, how many kids do you have in your care?

[DaveA]

I agree that I would term due the parent's reaction.

Regardless, if your fence is chain link maybe install a top latch. Something like this. If you want to buy local and the hardware stores don't have them, check with a pool store or a fence company. They should have them.

http://www.amazon.com/Residential-Child-Proof-Gate-Latch/dp/B0012ZX15S

[rosieteddy]

The lock I have used is a double end bolt snap.Really simple just hooks onto the handle of both gates. Adults easily can unhook kids not.

[Unregistered]

Child that runs

First, sorry that happened. How scary! Second, good job telling parent (cover butt).
Third, refer her for evaluation, obviously underlying issues and she needs 1/1, hopefully family can get subsidy to pay for that.
I strongly disagree with the push to terminat. I feel she deserves to be cared for not passed off for challenges. I care for exceptional children and you can put a driveway alarm by gate. It will alert (very loud if someone passes it).
Hope you can help this child.

[Thriftylady]

First, sorry that happened. How scary! Second, good job telling parent (cover butt).
Third, refer her for evaluation, obviously underlying issues and she needs 1/1, hopefully family can get subsidy to pay for that.
I strongly disagree with the push to terminat. I feel she deserves to be cared for not passed off for challenges. I care for exceptional children and you can put a driveway alarm by gate. It will alert (very loud if someone passes it).
Hope you can help this child.

I would have to term. I am the only adult here, and can't have something like that happen, it would shut me down. This child would require her own adult, and I doubt the parents would pay for that. I care about children, but I have to take care of my family and my children first, I can't do that with a liability like this one. The child needs to go somewhere where there is more staff and more safety measures. Not all children can be cared for in normal group care properly.

[Unregistered]

I am more concerned with the fact that a child was able to get away and for 20 MINUTES!! That’s ridiculous and a huge fail on the daycare’s part! I just do not quite believe that was the mother’s reaction, however, it very well could’ve been. Most certainly would not have been mine. I would’ve termed myself right then, called licensing, and put a review about it on any site that asks for a review on that daycare. Again, that is just ridiculous! -It is coming off (to me) as if it is being made the parent’s or child’s fault that she ran away, it is 100% the staff’s fault. If a child can get away like that and for that long then OBVIOUSLY no one is watching her as they should be.
There are lots of child proof latches, door knobs, etc out there that can and should be used, for reasons such as this.

I totally agree with this. As a parent, I would be livid if my child was gone for 20 min. And no one called the police. I would have left that daycare facility immediately and never returned. And I'm shocked that a parent would have had the reaction described! I know of no parent that would have laughed at the news that their kid was gone for 20 min!

[Thriftylady]

I agree that the child should not have been able to get away, but with the parent's attitude about it, it almost seems it is an allowed game at home that the child brought to daycare. That is the part where I blame the parent. If in fact the parent laughed it off and stated it happens at home all the time, then the parent is also at fault, because they have been allowing this to happen.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I agree that the child should not have been able to get away, but with the parent's attitude about it, it almost seems it is an allowed game at home that the child brought to daycare. That is the part where I blame the parent. If in fact the parent laughed it off and stated it happens at home all the time, then the parent is also at fault, because they have been allowing this to happen.

I totally get what you are saying, and its definitely unacceptable for this behavior to be allowed or encouraged at home, this did not happen at home. This happened under the watch of the provider. 4 staff members failed to provide adequate supervision. Period. The center did not have appropriate security in the form of a secure latch or motion sensor alarms. The staff member in charge of this child should absolutely be terminated. The center needs immediate security upgrades. I don't think it's fair to put this entirely on the parents. This child should have been terminated before this happened.

This post really bothers me. Everything from the lack of supervision of a child with a KNOWN history of escape attempts, police NOT being called, (we don't even know if the OP self reported this to licensing), the mom's alleged response, the lack of proper latches, to the OP implying it's the parents fault somehow. We are here to give advice, and my advice is for the center to accept responsibility and make immediate changes in staff and security. Had something serious or even deadly happened to this child, we'd all be wringing our hands and lamenting a tragedy that could have easily been prevented. Personally, I'm making sure head counts are done more often outside, checking my latches and making sure my contact alarms have fresh batteries.

[BabyMonkeys]

I totally get what you are saying, and its definitely unacceptable for this behavior to be allowed or encouraged at home, this did not happen at home. This happened under the watch of the provider. 4 staff members failed to provide adequate supervision. Period. The center did not have appropriate security in the form of a secure latch or motion sensor alarms. The staff member in charge of this child should absolutely be terminated. The center needs immediate security upgrades. I don't think it's fair to put this entirely on the parents. This child should have been terminated before this happened.

This post really bothers me. Everything from the lack of supervision of a child with a KNOWN history of escape attempts, police NOT being called, (we don't even know if the OP self reported this to licensing), the mom's alleged response, the lack of proper latches, to the OP implying it's the parents fault somehow. We are here to give advice, and my advice is for the center to accept responsibility and make immediate changes in staff and security. Had something serious or even deadly happened to this child, we'd all be wringing our hands and lamenting a tragedy that could have easily been prevented. Personally, I'm making sure head counts are done more often outside, checking my latches and making sure my contact alarms have fresh batteries.

exactly my thoughts

[NightOwl]

I totally get what you are saying, and its definitely unacceptable for this behavior to be allowed or encouraged at home, this did not happen at home. This happened under the watch of the provider. 4 staff members failed to provide adequate supervision. Period. The center did not have appropriate security in the form of a secure latch or motion sensor alarms. The staff member in charge of this child should absolutely be terminated. The center needs immediate security upgrades. I don't think it's fair to put this entirely on the parents. This child should have been terminated before this happened.

This post really bothers me. Everything from the lack of supervision of a child with a KNOWN history of escape attempts, police NOT being called, (we don't even know if the OP self reported this to licensing), the mom's alleged response, the lack of proper latches, to the OP implying it's the parents fault somehow. We are here to give advice, and my advice is for the center to accept responsibility and make immediate changes in staff and security. Had something serious or even deadly happened to this child, we'd all be wringing our hands and lamenting a tragedy that could have easily been prevented. Personally, I'm making sure head counts are done more often outside, checking my latches and making sure my contact alarms have fresh batteries.

You hit the nail on the head, Robin. This is 100% the responsibility of the op and her staff. She knew the child was a runner and didn't take the proper precautions to keep the child safe, either with locks, posting staff at the gate, alarms that sound when a gate opens, etc. If she felt it was beyond her capacity to take these extra steps, then she should've let the child go a long time ago. You cannot blame a kid for being curious, adventurous, etc, nor can you blame a parent for their child escaping when the parent wasn't even there and the staff KNEW she was a runner. Even if it's allowed to some degree at home, that doesn't make it ok to not take preventative measures to keep the child safe at daycare. If the child is allowed to climb the fence at home, do we allow it at daycare? If the child eats chocolate cake for breakfast at home, do we allow that too? Just because one thing is acceptable or "no big deal" at home, doesn't mean we allow it (or allow it passively because we didn't do anything to prevent it) at daycare. When cps shows up to investigate, will they be like "ohhhh it's allowed at home so you allowed it to happen here? Well, that's a different ballgame then. We'll just be on our way..." Absolutely not. They care about what the center does, what precautions they take, who was in charge of the child at the time of the incident, if the center is providing adequate supervision and safety, etc.
And frankly, I'm a little disturbed at the amount of people here who would place the blame on the child/parent and would term the child because of the staff's and the management's negligence.