Take this from someone who worked at a facility very similar to the one you work at for WAY too long...please get out. If you are serious about wanting to work in childcare, another job is very easy to find - I work at a private preschool and another daycare and both are hiring. Needing a job is not a good reason to stay.

Even though we work for the center, each teacher is a separate entity legally responsible for the children we have in care. If this incident blows up, you will be legally responsible, and you wont be able to blame it on the craziness of the center.
We are responsible for not working out of ratio, knowing who is in our group, and knowing the details of their coming and goings. That's Daycare 101 along with feeding them and making sure they don't get hurt. Everything else is relative.

I hope this all blows over. If it does, I advise you to not go back. At the least, put in two weeks notice, and as someone said, during that time refuse to be out of ratio, man the door and create a sign in/out sheet. The moment you become out of ratio, march the kids to the directors office until they either pull some kids from your group or give you some help. After a few times of this, they will either stop putting you over ratio or fire you.

Take this as a learning moment.

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