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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Heartbreaking Story in My Home Town
mommyneedsadayoff 06:19 AM 06-12-2015
The town I grew up in, which is about 20 minutes from where I live now, just had a situtation with a little 5 year old girl drowning at the local pool. It is a small pool with two lifeguards and there is a baby pool also. I used to swim in that pool all the time and up until this past year, we lived out on our farm, so we went in to this pool all the time. Gives me goosebumps just to think about it. Apparently, the little girl was with her daycare group and one of the life guards spotted her. They were able to revive her and she was flown to a larger hospital in our state. I have been following the GoFund me campaign someone started, because they post updates every now and again. The campaign has raised over 50K in just a few days. I think it raised 18K in just the first 12 hours or something. It is amazing how much support and love there is out there. Really hope this little girl can survive this and I feel so bad for her family and also all the people at the pool that day who experienced this tragedy. I am sure the daycare provider is devastated. So sad all around.
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LindseyA 08:37 AM 06-12-2015
Certainly makes us all feel less invincible when a tragedy hits close to home. Even with all the safety we use and are trained for, anything can happen. My heart goes out to all that's been affected by this
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NightOwl 08:57 AM 06-12-2015
Good job to the lifeguards. There's a place here locally that's like a mini Waterpark. I took a group there once and never will again. The lifeguards were talking to each other, walking away from their stations, texting, etc. I'm glad yours were on their toes. What state are you in? I want to look it up.
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CraftyMom 10:00 AM 06-12-2015
Lifeguards are there to socialize IME.

So the girl is alive?
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mommyneedsadayoff 10:04 AM 06-12-2015
She is alive, but in critical condition and on ventilation. There is limited info on the story so far, but here is a link to our local news story.

http://www.kxnet.com/story/29290362/...early-drowning
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mommyneedsadayoff 10:10 AM 06-12-2015
The lifeguards are generally high school students working on their tan, but that being said, they spotted her and got her out of the pool. I think the one thing that may have ended things differently was that their was a mom there who is a nurse and she was the one who gave cpr. Had that been left to the young life guards, it is hard to say if she would even be alive right now. I think everyone did the best they could and they were able to care flight her to a big hospital, so I am just crossing my fingers and praying for her to make it.
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e.j. 11:43 AM 06-12-2015
That is a sad story. I hope she'll be okay.
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Thriftylady 02:13 PM 06-12-2015
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
The lifeguards are generally high school students working on their tan, but that being said, they spotted her and got her out of the pool. I think the one thing that may have ended things differently was that their was a mom there who is a nurse and she was the one who gave cpr. Had that been left to the young life guards, it is hard to say if she would even be alive right now. I think everyone did the best they could and they were able to care flight her to a big hospital, so I am just crossing my fingers and praying for her to make it.
This is a sad story, but some of them do take it seriously. My DD is 16 and started lifeguarding last year at our church camp. She was told she was the only lifeguard they have ever seen use time out poolside. She gives one warning for stuff, she is on top of it lol. She has had to go into the pool a ton of times, sometimes I wonder if she needs to that much, but I'm not there. While I am sure some of them are just there to socialize, it isn't true of all of them. Also at least in our area there is a shortage. Our village pool was only able to get three lifeguards this year. It almost seems not as many kids want to do it anymore or something. All that being said, if I was someplace and saw them on their phones and such, I would have complained to management right away.
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daycare 02:33 PM 06-12-2015
omg this made me cry my eyes out............. I almost drown as a child, not quite this bad, but this just sank my heart.

I hope the child is ok and bless the heart of the nurse who helped her and her DCP. I bet she/he must be feeling horrible
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mommyneedsadayoff 02:33 PM 06-12-2015
Oh absolutely! There are some amazing young life guards out there. MY sister was a lifeguard for many years and she was very serious about it. I think it depends on the pool, but most will weed out those just looking to sunbathe, because as this situation shows, it only takes a minute and you are dealing with life and death.

This story just won't leave my mind. It hits very close to home. I worry about the daycare provider too. I wish I had more details, but I can only imagine what she is going through as well right now.
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MarinaVanessa 04:00 PM 06-12-2015
This has alwys been a huge fear for me so I would never take daycare kids to a community pool. We have a pool in out condo community and I've never invited any of my daycare kids to it. I just wouldn't feel comfortable unless it was a 1 parent=1 child ratio. I just use my water table.

So sad for the family
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Unregistered 05:52 PM 06-12-2015
I took the DC kids to the pool twice. They were all 3-5 yrs. I had six kids with me and wouldn't let them go into the water past their calves. It was so nerve rackng and I hated it. Never again. I've never been a big one for field trips in general.

I've never had a waiting pool for he DC kids. Always a sprinkler and water table.

Sure hope for the best for this girl!
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Josiegirl 03:48 AM 06-13-2015
That's so sad. I hope she recovers alright. How scary for all.
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mommyneedsadayoff 11:32 AM 07-02-2015
I found out that the little girl became an angel today I cannot even imagine what her family is going through. And the daycare provider who was caring for her that day too. So sad all around.
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mommyneedsadayoff 03:34 PM 08-25-2015
The news just reported that the daycare lady is being charged with negligent homicide, neglect of a child, and operating a a childcare facility without a license. Yikes
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Josiegirl 03:55 PM 08-25-2015
Oh my. That poor little girl Her family must be devastated.

Have no idea about the dcp as I don't know the details. But I'd be scared to bring a number of kids to the pool. They're too quick.
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Silly Songs 04:31 PM 08-25-2015
Our local pool just had a group of day camp children come a few weeks ago. I was with a neighbor's child and we left when we saw all the kids. I think one lifeguard told me there were over 90 children and 10 counselors !!! Poor lifeguards .
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mommyneedsadayoff 08:23 PM 02-16-2016
Just read that they are now pressing charges all the way up to the head of the DHS. Apparently, they new the daycare license had expired and they falsified records to make it look like the license was still valid. There are 3 new people being charged, including the head of the DHS of the county.

So, the provider is facing negligent homicide, the county official, as well as the head of the dhs are also facing class c felonies.

I was reading the comments on the news feed of this new report and I am mad.

They are calling for the heads of the officials and saying they should face prison. I know what they did is wrong, but this daycare was licensed for over 30 years. The license expired and was in renewal process. I have spoken to three families who had their children there and they loved it and were well aware of the situation. The grandparents of the girl who died knew how many kids were at the daycare, knew they were going to the pool, and even said they wanted her to wear a life vest, because she could not swim.

I am not taking away form the provider's responsibility. But when do we stop the lynch mob from going after everyone and not holding the parents even a little bit accountable? They knew the situation, yet they took their kid there (because the daycare is actually a great daycare) and they knew they were going to the pool, they knew the girl could not swim, ect...

I guess the comments just made me mad. It feels like parents can drop their kid off and all responsibility on their end is frozen. My son has a birthday party this weekend and it is a pool party. He knows how to swim and the mom said parent s can stay or not. I will be staying. I could take the 3 hours and go shopping or have me time, but I do not want to put the responsibility of keeping y son safe and alive on a person I really don't know that well, who is also in charge of 10+ other kids. I will not pass that responsibility off at the price of $150 for daycare either. I know I sound harsh and I am sorry. I am mad and venting, because I think that while they should be following the laws, none of it would have prevented this little girl from drowning. I know this daycare personally and I know the woman being charged, so maybe I am biased, but I hate to see people (many who have never worked in childcare) calling for their heads! Grrr
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Blackcat31 06:36 AM 02-17-2016
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
Just read that they are now pressing charges all the way up to the head of the DHS. Apparently, they new the daycare license had expired and they falsified records to make it look like the license was still valid. There are 3 new people being charged, including the head of the DHS of the county.

So, the provider is facing negligent homicide, the county official, as well as the head of the dhs are also facing class c felonies.

I was reading the comments on the news feed of this new report and I am mad.

They are calling for the heads of the officials and saying they should face prison. I know what they did is wrong, but this daycare was licensed for over 30 years. The license expired and was in renewal process. I have spoken to three families who had their children there and they loved it and were well aware of the situation. The grandparents of the girl who died knew how many kids were at the daycare, knew they were going to the pool, and even said they wanted her to wear a life vest, because she could not swim.

I am not taking away form the provider's responsibility. But when do we stop the lynch mob from going after everyone and not holding the parents even a little bit accountable? They knew the situation, yet they took their kid there (because the daycare is actually a great daycare) and they knew they were going to the pool, they knew the girl could not swim, ect...

I guess the comments just made me mad. It feels like parents can drop their kid off and all responsibility on their end is frozen. My son has a birthday party this weekend and it is a pool party. He knows how to swim and the mom said parent s can stay or not. I will be staying. I could take the 3 hours and go shopping or have me time, but I do not want to put the responsibility of keeping y son safe and alive on a person I really don't know that well, who is also in charge of 10+ other kids. I will not pass that responsibility off at the price of $150 for daycare either. I know I sound harsh and I am sorry. I am mad and venting, because I think that while they should be following the laws, none of it would have prevented this little girl from drowning. I know this daycare personally and I know the woman being charged, so maybe I am biased, but I hate to see people (many who have never worked in childcare) calling for their heads! Grrr
I am confused at to what the parents knew or didn't know?

Was the provider over ratios and the parents knew and still dropped off?

Was the provider not legally or technically licensed (if she was in the renewal phase)? Were the parents aware of that?

I guess I agree with you to some extent that parents should definitely be responsible too but I am not seeing what the parents could be responsible for in this situation?

Just because she (the provider) planned to take the kids swimming? I think that's a great option for a program to offer AND there were two life guards on duty. I dont really think there could have been any other safety methods offered to make a parent feel anymore comfortable...kwim?

The only other option would be to not enroll their child in a program that participates in off site activities and it sounds like that is sometimes THE reason parents choose certain programs. They WANT their child to get out and get those opportunities and they may not be able to provide them themselves if they are a full time working family.

So yes, I agree that in a lot of daycare related accidents/situations parents SHOULD bear some responsibility but I am not seeing it in this case so are there more details or did I miss something?
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Cat Herder 06:51 AM 02-17-2016
The provider was operating because her licensor told her she could while she pulled strings (known or unknown to provider)? And the provider is being charged with operating illegally?

I know charged is not the same as convicted but
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Cat Herder 07:22 AM 02-17-2016
I just read the articles. Terrifying.

Did the family provide a life jacket? Did they sign a field trip form?

I don't understand how this is all the providers fault. Knee jerk charges?
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Play Care 07:57 AM 02-17-2016
I feel like this was posted before? I know I commented.

There have been times when I've had to renew that paperwork was kicked back to me which held up my renewal. I was *never* told during that time that I was technically unlicensed or couldn't operate or was operating illegally. More of an issue when my own kids were little, not STTN and I was exhausted and forgot to cross a t or dot an i
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mommyneedsadayoff 09:41 AM 02-17-2016
Playcare, I started this thread a while back, but just wanted to update on it, as new charges were filed.

Can I post a link to the story, BC? Not sure if that is allowed?

Basically, the daycare license expired a week before the accident and the state and local officials knew this. They issued a renewal and back dated so it would show the daycare was licensed at the time of the drowning. As far as I know (I know one of the woman who performed cpr on the girl), the provider and her assistant were at the pool and they were within ratio. The provider is facing negligent homocide, child neglect, and operating without a license. Her trial is in April. The local license agent is facing charges of criminal conspiracy, filing false paperwork, and tampering. Now, they are charging the executive director and 4 or 5 other people in the dhs with criminal conspiracy and failure to their duties. The city is also being sued, since it is a public pool and there were life guards present, I would guess

I feel this was a terrible accident. The little girl was on life support for a month and after she passed, the charges started coming in full force. The city attorney said the family is not behind these charges, but many in the community feel otherwise, including some relatives. Many of the comments on these local news stories are relatives and friends of the family and they are definitely looking for someone ot be held accountable. I feel like the provider is the one who will take the majority of the blame, even if she had the state's support for continuing to operate. The families I know who went there said she was within ratios and followed the childcare regs, but the trial is closed, so it will be awhile before we see if there is other information that she had too many kids or did something criminal that resulted in this tragedy.

I was having a bad night last night, so I guess just to clarify my post. This daycare has been around for almost 30 years and is the largest in the town, with 35+ kids enrolled I believe. Closing the daycare when the license expired would have left so many families without care (only a few other home daycares in town) that I think they figured it was best to keep it open. I don't think it was some conspiracy to commit fraud and pull the wool over the eyes of the families. I think it just ended up being bad timing. If the license was valid, it would not have prevented this tragedy. If they had closed the daycare until the license was complete, parents would have been p!ssed. I just find it funny/sad that some of the comments on the news site equate the licensing issue to the cause of death. I feel like, since she had the support of the dhs to keep operating, they were probably very stern about her keeping things on the straight and narrow. If she didn’t it would open up an investigation. Unfortunately, this situation happened, and an investigation was opened up anyway, but I really don’t feel that lack of a valid license would have prevented this death. Even if she had shut down while waiting, almost every daycare in the community goes to that pool during the summer. The child could have gone to another daycare and had it happen. She could have been with her mom and dad and had it happen. It is horrible and tragic, but for people to really believe that not having the license would have prevented the whole thing is what really bugs me for some reason.

When I speak of the parent's responsibility, I guess I just mean that this is a terrible accident and they were fine with the daycare up until this point and now they want to make sure everyone pays for something that was a terrible accident. They knew she couldn't swim, and they knew it was a large group of kids who go, yet they allowed her to go to the pool multiple times with this provider. I know it is ultimately the provider who is responsible, but I guess it is just bugs me that we always get vilified right off the bat. If it comes out that she was out of ratio or neglected to follow safety rules, then she should face consequences. Until then, I just cannot get behind the judgement of her and I hate that it is tearing up a town I was born and raised in. My mom’s employee started this daycare to compete with my mom, who had the first and largest daycare in the town. The daycare is actually part of my grandma’s old property. They bought it from us to expand their playground area. I know many people who go there and I just feel it is a huge loss to the community. Just makes me sad for everyone involved.
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Ariana 09:49 AM 02-17-2016
If a child dies anywhere outside a parents home someone needs to pay for it. It is sad but it seems to be the way things work now. It doesn't matter if this daycare was licensed out the ying yang this still could have happened. It happened here where I am too. The providers were doing nothing illegal and although the provider didn't get charged the heavy hand of the government has come down hard on all providers over this incident....as if this will prevent accidents from happening.

Parents get angry and this is how it comes out. Someone needs to pay . Long gone are the days of support and rallying around your neighbours.
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Blackcat31 09:58 AM 02-17-2016
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:

Can I post a link to the story, BC? Not sure if that is allowed?
Absolutely!!!!
This is a tragic situation in which sounds like a lot of "stuff" was either covered up or swept under the rug.

You are always welcome to post links to things you post about.
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mommyneedsadayoff 11:31 AM 02-17-2016
Ok thank you!

Here is the most recent story:

http://www.kxnet.com/story/31237939/...lva-pool-death
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Michael 01:08 PM 02-17-2016
Originally Posted by mommyneedsadayoff:
Ok thank you!

Here is the most recent story:

http://www.kxnet.com/story/31237939/...lva-pool-death
Boy, this is a complicated story on so many levels. A long time provider fell through the cracks with their license and DHS tried to help by bypassing the law, gets whacked by the a death of a child. This is going to destroy a lot of families and careers with prison time. Unfortunate and sad.
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Tags:drowning, liability
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