You get done with your work and you go to pick your child up from day care, and you find doors locked up tight, the windows darkened and the sound of your baby screaming inside. The imagination shocks you itself! One Chicago father knows the feeling exactly. This is what happened to him when he went to pick-up his 1-yr old daughter from daycare.
Cornelius Jones went to pick up his 1-year-old daughter, Journee, on what was only her fourth day at a new day care center, only to find the doors locked and no answer when he called the inside office. No one was there. Except Journee, of course, who was crying somewhere in the darkened building.
Jones wasted no time calling 911 and his partner, Journee’s mother, Quanesha Borum. The door had to be broken down by firemen to get the baby out, but no answer as to why the baby was left alone was particularly satisfying or forthcoming. Borum certainly wasn’t impressed with what the director, Tommie Butler, had to say:
“She said that the lady that was in charge of Journee put her to sleep, and once everybody got ready to leave, she told her that everybody was gone… But my thing is, I come in here, and I sign her in and out, so why wasn’t the list checked before everybody left?” The director told Borum that an explanation for that could be that during a sweep of the building, Journee was mistaken for a doll.
So, it seems child care workers weren’t able to differentiate between dolls and babies. Evidently, Journee was upset but unharmed! However, her parents want the day care closed, in part because the police mentioned that this wasn’t the first time this has happened at the site.
When an incident like this occurs, there may be plethora of questions swirling around in your mind – What if something bad happens? Your baby is forgotten, even harmed? Just unimaginable at times!
As a parent you must completely be aware of all policies governing an emergency in a day care. Many parents aren’t aware that such policies even exist!
In this case, Journee’s mother knew that the baby had to be signed in and out, which certainly compounded her anger and confusion. Why didn’t the fact that no one had signed the 1-year-old out again at the end of the day raise any red flags?
There’s often much more for parents to be aware of. Every day care must keep a list of who works there, what their credentials are and have multiple procedures in place for different kinds of emergencies, including when a child is forgotten in a classroom.
Parents have a right to see this material, and if the day care doesn’t offer it up readily in a handbook or as supplemental information at the time of enrollment, consider that a red flag. When you are deciding upon a day care, give yourself a second to think about worst-case scenarios: What would happen if there were a fire? An intruder? A missing child? Then ask how your provider handles those issues.
The Department of Health and Human Services in every state should have emergency preparedness documentation readily available online for providers to print out and fill in to keep their ducks in a row. Get your hands on the one for your state, and then go through it with your provider or potential provider.
