Incidents At Daycare - Recommendations Near Bothell, WA

[smoka]

My wife and I had a baby last December and considered several daycares in the Bothell area. My wife's mother runs a family daycare and we thought this was ideal both economically and felt that a daycare owner is more likely to care about her job than an employee at a franchise making close to minimum wage to babysit.

We enrolled our child at 6 months in a daycare near our home. She is now 9 months old, so she's been there about 3 months. The owner is probably in her 50's but gets help from a girl in her 20's. She seems very friendly (like my mother in law) and the only major downside was that English is her second language. We thought that would be okay since she will interact with people of different cultures and we can always enforce language/learning at home as long as she's in a loving environment.

In the past few months, we had several "incidents" that are making us reconsider this daycare:
1. Within the first month, there were a couple of incidents of major scratches. They were clearly not self-inflicted and the provider never even mentioned they happened (I'm not sure if she saw it happen and forgot to tell us or was too busy when it did happen).
2. One time I picked her up and found her salivating more than normal. After putting her in her car seat, I noticed that she was chewing on something. I opened her mouth and saw a piece of bark or wood from furniture! Again, it wasn't noted by the provider and she handed her to me with this in her mouth.
3. Today, we forgot her solids so I went around 2pm to drop them off. It was nap-time and there was one baby crying. As I walked in, the provider was getting the crying baby out of a closet. The baby was an infant in a car seat!

The first 2 points show that the provider was not watching the kids closely enough. Having been at the daycare with my mother-in-law, I know it's impossible to watch 6-7 kids with little or no help, but usually she knows if something does happen. Usually it's a kid falls and she gets them a Band-Aid. Kid scratches or pushes another kid and they get timeout until behavior is corrected, etc. However, the accidents are noted and remedied and later reported to the parents at time of pickup, which is all we expect. This does not seem to happen at this daycare and we end up finding this when we get home.

The 3rd point is just a bit scary since the closet had little or no ventilation. I'm not sure if she does this with our child if she gets fussy/cranky.

Does this sound like normal/expected behavior or should I look for another provider in the area? Any good recommendations on providers (preferably Bothell, WA but open to Kirkland/Bellevue)?

[TwinKristi]

First, I have no recommendations but hopefully someone else does. I would try to contact your local referal and resources office to provide you with a list of licensed providers in your area. http://www.childcarenet.org/families/your-search
Second, is your current provider licensed? Did you get and call references? If she is licensed I would report her to licensing for the sleep thing. Here is the link to the licensing requirements for infant sleep. http://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.as...=170-296A-7075

Do you have any friends in the area with a baby in childcare? Do you belong to any local Favebook parenting groups? Ask for personal references and word of mouth referrals. Infant care is hard to find but quality infant care is even harder. Look ove the state's recommendations and ask any potential provider what they do about sleep, fussy babies, direct supervision with a mixed age group.
Washington licensed childcare website

http://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=170-296A

[daniellesweety1]

My wife and I had a baby last December and considered several daycares in the Bothell area. My wife's mother runs a family daycare and we thought this was ideal both economically and felt that a daycare owner is more likely to care about her job than an employee at a franchise making close to minimum wage to babysit.

We enrolled our child at 6 months in a daycare near our home. She is now 9 months old, so she's been there about 3 months. The owner is probably in her 50's but gets help from a girl in her 20's. She seems very friendly (like my mother in law) and the only major downside was that English is her second language. We thought that would be okay since she will interact with people of different cultures and we can always enforce language/learning at home as long as she's in a loving environment.

In the past few months, we had several "incidents" that are making us reconsider this daycare:
1. Within the first month, there were a couple of incidents of major scratches. They were clearly not self-inflicted and the provider never even mentioned they happened (I'm not sure if she saw it happen and forgot to tell us or was too busy when it did happen).
2. One time I picked her up and found her salivating more than normal. After putting her in her car seat, I noticed that she was chewing on something. I opened her mouth and saw a piece of bark or wood from furniture! Again, it wasn't noted by the provider and she handed her to me with this in her mouth.
3. Today, we forgot her solids so I went around 2pm to drop them off. It was nap-time and there was one baby crying. As I walked in, the provider was getting the crying baby out of a closet. The baby was an infant in a car seat!

The first 2 points show that the provider was not watching the kids closely enough. Having been at the daycare with my mother-in-law, I know it's impossible to watch 6-7 kids with little or no help, but usually she knows if something does happen. The 3rd point is just a bit scary since the closet had little or no ventilation. I'm not sure if she does this with our child if she gets fussy/cranky.

Does this sound like normal/expected behavior or should I look for another provider in the area? Any good recommendations on providers (preferably Bothell but open to Kirkland/Bellevue)?

I don't know anything about the area where you are looking for daycare, but I can tell you that I would immediately remove my child. The closet thing, heck no. I wouldn't be able to function during the day thinking she has my child in a closet. Also her chewing something would piss me off too. My daughter went to 3 daycares because I felt the care wasn't right. I waited until she was able to talk to even attend but I would catch little things happening that made me change centers. I would definitely remove my child from there asap.
Also, did she even say anything about it when you saw it or she just seem like its an everyday normal thing???

[NightOwl]

Get your baby out NOW and call cps. Like, yesterday. The other baby was fastened in a car seat and IN A CLOSET?? This is not, not, NOT normal.

Do not take your child back there. The first two points? ehh. Stuff happens sometimes. No provider is perfect. The third point? Run and don't look back. But she must be reported. The other parents need to know their kids are being put into closets! She will be shut down for this kind of behavior.

[smoka]

First, I have no recommendations but hopefully someone else does. I would try to contact your local referal and resources office to provide you with a list of licensed providers in your area. http://www.childcarenet.org/families/your-search
Second, is your current provider licensed? Did you get and call references? If she is licensed I would report her to licensing for the sleep thing. Here is the link to the licensing requirements for infant sleep. http://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.as...=170-296A-7075

Do you have any friends in the area with a baby in childcare? Do you belong to any local Favebook parenting groups? Ask for personal references and word of mouth referrals. Infant care is hard to find but quality infant care is even harder. Look ove the state's recommendations and ask any potential provider what they do about sleep, fussy babies, direct supervision with a mixed age group.
Washington licensed childcare website
http://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=170-296A

Yes, she is licensed. We went through the local office to find the local providers. We looked at several francized daycares which were organized and divided into age groups, but the employees looked like they were just getting by their day and either looked bored or pissed off that they're there!

My work blocks Yelp, which was going to be my next reference for parent feedback. I'm open to driving longer or expanding the daycare budget by 2x if it means getting her into a good environment. I'll ask some friends and facebook groups as well. Thanks for the recommendations.

I don't know anything about the area where you are looking for daycare, but I can tell you that I would immediately remove my child. The closet thing, heck no. I wouldn't be able to function during the day thinking she has my child in a closet. Also her chewing something would piss me off too. My daughter went to 3 daycares because I felt the care wasn't right. I waited until she was able to talk to even attend but I would catch little things happening that made me change centers. I would definitely remove my child from there asap.
Also, did she even say anything about it when you saw it or she just seem like its an everyday normal thing???

She seemed shocked when I walked in. I sometimes drop her off a little late (10:30am), but we usually don't come mid-day like that.

I didn't really want to sit there and discuss with her since it was nap-time, so I just dropped off the food and left. Now, maybe there was an explanation to the situation, but I did see a baby in a car seat being pulled out of a closet. My best explanation is she was trying to diffuse the sound so the other kids can sleep!

So do you have your child in a Family daycare or a big daycare center? If it's a daycare center, is it a national or local one?

Get your baby out NOW and call cps. Like, yesterday. The other baby was fastened in a car seat and IN A CLOSET?? This is not, not, NOT normal.

Do not take your child back there. The first two points? ehh. Stuff happens sometimes. No provider is perfect. The third point? Run and don't look back. But she must be reported. The other parents need to know their kids are being put into closets! She will be shut down for this kind of behavior.

I don't know if the baby was fastened. There was a car seat cover on. It didn't sound like my baby's cry though, which was *somewhat* assuring, but what I saw looked wrong.
Regarding the reporting, I would have to get more information from the provider and find an alternate daycare. Again, maybe there is an explanation.

[daniellesweety1]

get your baby out now and call cps. Like, yesterday. The other baby was fastened in a car seat and in a closet?? This is not, not, not normal.

Do not take your child back there. The first two points? Ehh. Stuff happens sometimes. No provider is perfect. The third point? Run and don't look back. But she must be reported. The other parents need to know their kids are being put into closets! She will be shut down for this kind of behavior.

exactly

[Heidi]

Yes, she is licensed. We went through the local office to find the local providers. We looked at several francized daycares which were organized and divided into age groups, but the employees looked like they were just getting by their day and either looked bored or pissed off that they're there!

My work blocks Yelp, which was going to be my next reference for parent feedback. I'm open to driving longer or expanding the daycare budget by 2x if it means getting her into a good environment. I'll ask some friends and facebook groups as well. Thanks for the recommendations.




She seemed shocked when I walked in. I sometimes drop her off a little late (10:30am), but we usually don't come mid-day like that.

I didn't really want to sit there and discuss with her since it was nap-time, so I just dropped off the food and left. Now, maybe there was an explanation to the situation, but I did see a baby in a car seat being pulled out of a closet. My best explanation is she was trying to diffuse the sound so the other kids can sleep!

So do you have your child in a Family daycare or a big daycare center? If it's a daycare center, is it a national or local one?



I don't know if the baby was fastened. There was a car seat cover on. It didn't sound like my baby's cry though, which was *somewhat* assuring, but what I saw looked wrong.
Regarding the reporting, I would have to get more information from the provider and find an alternate daycare. Again, maybe there is an explanation.

There is really NO explanation for a baby being put in a closet, in a car seat. If his crying was overwhelming, she could have put HERSELF in the closet for am adult "time out".

This is a huge red flag. You are on a site attended mostly by childcare providers (a few parents), and we usually jump pretty quickly to defend "our own". I've been caring for children for 24 years, and I am thinking is appropriate. I would NOT take your child back for one more day. Figure out something else, please!

[NightOwl]

Agreed. We can see things from the provider's angle and will always try to explain what could've happened or what a reasonable explanation could be. NOT THIS. There is no reason good enough for a child in a closet. None.

[daniellesweety1]

"She seemed shocked when I walked in. I sometimes drop her off a little late (10:30am), but we usually don't come mid-day like that.

I didn't really want to sit there and discuss with her since it was nap-time, so I just dropped off the food and left. Now, maybe there was an explanation to the situation, but I did see a baby in a car seat being pulled out of a closet. My best explanation is she was trying to diffuse the sound so the other kids can sleep!

So do you have your child in a Family daycare or a big daycare center? If it's a daycare center, is it a national or local one?"


My daughter is now 5 so she's in K now. But she attended 3 daycare centers. The first one she didn't stay long because 3 incident occurred within the first 2 months. 1st she was bitten on one arm ( the mark lasted for over a month) however like a week later after being bit, she was bitten again on the opposite arm. ( The teacher tried to tell me she thinks she has eczema) So I told her nope she was bitten again CLEARLY. That was my last straw and I was terminating the end of that week. Just like you, I forgot to bring her bedding and went in the middle of the day. ( The teacher was outside getting her car looked at , she saw me and I watched her run back to the classroom through the side door. She met me at the door and had the NERVE to tell me that she would take the sheets because she didn't want my daughter to see me or she'll cry. :confused: I told her "miss my daughter does not cry for me and let me get her things and this is her LAST DAY" she was so shocked and didn't know what to say. I actually took a lot out of me to not go off on her. Other than that the 2nd center were just minor issues with the staff and the 3rd was the last one before pre-k. You have to go with your feelings and something just don't seem right and there is no justifying her actions.

[smoka]

So my wife talked to the provider and the kid in the closet was our little girl I thought I know her crying after listening to it for 9 months, but I guess not!

She tried to explain that it is not really a closet but a "quiet dark room", which usually calms kids down!!! That just tells me that this is a normal thing for her, which is even more scary. I looked inside the "quiet room" when I was there and it's basically a coat closet! And the look on her face when I walked in tells me that she knew that she's doing something wrong.

Anyways, we'll be pulling the child out of that daycare ASAP. I'm still debating whether I should tell CPS or not because that can probably ruin her career. I have several friends with older kids that have lived in the area, so they should be able to make recommendations. I also don't want to switch her too many times because I want her to adjust to one *nice* place and make friends there.

[Heidi]

So my wife talked to the provider and the kid in the closet was our little girl I thought I know her crying after listening to it for 9 months, but I guess not!

She tried to explain that it is not really a closet but a "quiet dark room", which usually calms kids down!!! That just tells me that this is a normal thing for her, which is even more scary. I looked inside the "quiet room" when I was there and it's basically a coat closet! And the look on her face when I walked in tells me that she knew that she's doing something wrong.

Anyways, we'll be pulling the child out of that daycare ASAP. I'm still debating whether I should tell CPS or not because that can probably ruin her career. I have several friends with older kids that have lived in the area, so they should be able to make recommendations. I also don't want to switch her too many times because I want her to adjust to one *nice* place and make friends there.

Please, do NOT take her back tomorrow! This is NOT okay, and your child, quite frankly, is now in increased danger. I am not saying this to keep you up tonight, but consider this lady's frustration level already, then add her knowing something is up. Taking it out on your child (or another) is at least an increased possibility. I don't know this lady, and am hesitant to throw her under the bus here, but I say DO NOT TAKE HER BACK, please! Today was your warning that something is wrong.

This needs to reported to licensing. How would you feel about her career if in a month or a year, another child is injured somehow? Don't feel guilty about doing the right thing!

[TwinKristi]

The fact that she's allowing your child to not only sleep in a closet but IN her infant seat is against the regulations. You witnessed it and she admitted to it. Imagine how you may feel if instead of finding out this way you found out from a police office or fireman who found her in there dead? I don't like to be extreme like that but for reals... A baby in its car seat in the closet?? A lady I interviewed with found her child in a similar manner and pulled. She knew the lady didn't have bad intentions but cultural differences and maybe it's the same here but a child could easily die that way. Positional Asphyxiation and over heating are 2 big factors in infant death. And does screaming and confinement in a dark closet all alone sound comforting to you?? It's abuse! You felt parents should know their child was being treated that way and then you find out its your kid and now it's different?? Yikes!!

[Leigh]

The 3rd point is a BIT scary? I'd have taken my child and called the police. It's more than a bit scary. I suggest you call your daughter in "sick" tomorrow, so as not to tip off the provider that something is coming, and call CPS immediately to report this. It's not right. I'd lose my license for that and probably face criminal charges, as well.

[Leigh]

You MUST report this. Your child could have died. Another child could die even after you pull yours. At a minimum, she is neglecting the children. A crying infant needs attention from her caregiver, not to be put in a dark closet, strapped into a carseat (which is dangerous). If it's the end of her career, it SHOULD be...no one should be caring for children when they treat them this way.

[NightOwl]

You can't concern yourself with her career. She put your helpless, crying baby in a dark closet! You have no idea how long your baby was in there! If she was in her car seat, she may have been in there since you dropped her off!! Think of your baby and the other helpless children, NOT the provider. I don't think there's any cultural differences here. She knew she was doing something wrong based on her reaction to you showing up at an odd time. If you don't want to call cps, tell us the name of her childcare. We'll handle it for you.