Kindergartner Left at School

[happymom]

There was an oversight yesterday at daycare and my child was not picked up from school.

Yesterday was a very unique day. My son normally is in PM kindergarten, but due to a field trip he would be attending during the AM hours yesterday.

This was communicated throughout the school year between myself and the director and I spoke with the assistant director the morning of. She said it shouldn't be a problem but they'd call me if it was.

Well, they forgot to call me and he wasn't picked up from school

I got a call from the school that he was still there and the daycare van never came. It sounds like they called the other boy's mom, but must have got distracted before calling me.

I mean, my kid's fine. Daycare is less than a half mile from school, so they ran over right away and picked him up (otherwise it was going to be 20 more minutes until I could get there from work). The owner was there at the daycare when my phone call was made, and she left to get him while I was still on the phone.

Just wondering your thoughts on this.

[Play Care]

What did they say the issue was that they couldn't get him and forgot to call? Are you happy with the care and communication otherwise? All that would weigh heavily in how I felt. If your child had been left alone or unsupervised, I would be livid and say pull and report. But he was safe and supervised at school, just a little late for pick up

If it was a simple miscommunication and day care was apologetic and we made a plan for just in case, I would probably be satisfied.

[happymom]

Originally Posted by Play Care

What did they say the issue was that they couldn't get him and forgot to call? Are you happy with the care and communication otherwise? All that would weigh heavily in how I felt. If your child had been left alone or unsupervised, I would be livid and say pull and report. But he was safe and supervised at school, just a little late for pick up

If it was a simple miscommunication and day care was apologetic and we made a plan for just in case, I would probably be satisfied.

Yes yes and yes.

They did what they could to make it right in the moment, my son wasn't sitting at school scared or worried (LOL but I was so worried he was!). I haven't talked again with the director, but normally AM kindergarten ends at 11:30 and because of the field trip, pick up was at 12:30. I can understand, definitely, how that happens.

I figure that the assistant director didn't realize that when she confirmed that they could pick him up with the other child (who was in the same situation as mine), but that when they notified parents they forgot that my child was effected since he is not on that normal pick up route. She believed that I had been called, but I think at that moment she realized her mistake.

But we all make mistakes, right? And he was safe at school =)

[Cat Herder]

Here it would get them shut down for an investigation. Transporting kids is a highly regulated thing due to many annual bus deaths from being forgotten.

There is a form the driver has to print before leaving that lists each and every kid for that day. There are multiple checks and required documentation that has to be filed every run.

[happymom]

He wasn't ever on the pick up list. They were unable to accommodate his pick up yesterday and needed me to transport from school to daycare.

They simply forgot to call me. He wasn't left on a bus or anything like that.

[Cat Herder]

Originally Posted by happymom

He wasn't ever on the pick up list. They were unable to accommodate his pick up yesterday and needed me to transport from school to daycare.

They simply forgot to call me. He wasn't left on a bus or anything like that.

I understand that. It would not have mattered here. It isn't punitive. It is based on the outcome. The outcome was the daycare had an unaccounted for child. The system that allowed them to not notify you that you needed to pick up, allowing the child to be left, is what would have been being investigated. An improvement plan would have been drafted and a follow-up plan to verify completion of that plan would be enforced.

It isn't personal, it is simply about improving the system so that there are no more opportunities for anyone to forget a child.

[happymom]

Ah yes. I understand.

It's great that the school has safety precautions in place as well and between the two of them, he was kept safe.

[Cat Herder]

This should help explain it. They don't want a culture of punishment.

It is not beneficial for an employee to get away with risky behaviors because there was no negative outcome then another employee is penalized to the maximum extent of the law because the same act resulted in a negative outcome.

The goal is a more effective system. Your issue would fall in human error.

[mommyneedsadayoff]

It is so crazy that I found this post, because a similar situation just happened to me. My kids are in Kindergarden and 2nd grade and they ride the bus to after school care some days (library and nursing home day are their favorites), but otherwise, I call the school and have them brought home. They were suppose to come home today, but 20 min past normal time, I figured there was a miscommunication. I called the after school program to verify they made it, which they did, and I will go pick them up in a bit. I think the biggest thing for me is that I have a 2nd grader, so I have had 2+ years prior to learn the school system and to trust in the teachers. Because if this happened with my son during his kindergarden year, I would have probably been a bit unnerved. But the good thing is that you were called and everything was worked out. It is a great lesson to teach your son who to go to for help if he is left without an adult or unsure of where to go. And I also think it is a great thing for parents to learn, because if you have an unsual day that is different from your norm, calling or checking in to confirm plans or to be sure that everything is going as it should is a good thing. My kids gets used to the routine, so when something different (bonus points for fun) comes up, they will not let me forget about it and they remind me that we have to be on our toes. Glad it all worked out for you!

[happymom]

I'm glad my son is REALLY smart and keeps track of his schedule as well as an adult. Sometimes better than me.

He always knows what day it is (the date, and the day of the week). He knows my phone number and our address. He knows who picks him up and on what days, although his schedule is pretty predictable -- daycare picks him up every day of the week except for one day, and that is the day I volunteer in his classroom so he leaves with me.

[ellen211]

Originally Posted by happymom

I'm glad my son is REALLY smart and keeps track of his schedule as well as an adult. Sometimes better than me.

He always knows what day it is (the date, and the day of the week). He knows my phone number and our address. He knows who picks him up and on what days, although his schedule is pretty predictable -- daycare picks him up every day of the week except for one day, and that is the day I volunteer in his classroom so he leaves with me.

Your son is smart and very responsible! My son still needs supervision by her mum.

I have made this error myself--I get so busy it has slipped my mind. Working chidlcare is one fire after another to put out. You get phone calls, hurt kids to give ice packs to, sick kids, calls home for them, parents coming in, other issues, all at once-often. It is like everything is a 911 issue.

I feel HORRIBLE about it. I never want it to happen to my children. But Ive made the mistake before a few times. Yup, not just once, a few times.

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I have made this error myself--I get so busy it has slipped my mind. Working chidlcare is one fire after another to put out. You get phone calls, hurt kids to give ice packs to, sick kids, calls home for them, parents coming in, other issues, all at once-often. It is like everything is a 911 issue.

I feel HORRIBLE about it. I never want it to happen to my children. But Ive made the mistake before a few times. Yup, not just once, a few times.

This is an old thread but I have to ask... are you referring to forgetting to pick up your own child or you forgot a daycare child somewhere?

If you've made this mistake a few times/more than once then maybe consider caring for fewer kids so that everything isn't always at a 911 level kwim?

I have had situations that happen all at once that feel like chaos but I don't feel as if I am in an emergency situation daily at all so the thought that someone is stretched that thin is somewhat concerning as the rise in child deaths due to being forgotten in hot cars is terrible and lends to the idea that we (general we, as a society) need to slow down and create a slower less chaotic pace in all that we do.

Children's lives depend on us.

[Rockgirl]

There’s no excuse for leaving a child. I no longer transport, but when I did, I had a system for keeping track. We checked roll while lined up by the door to leave, again after getting buckled in the van, when we exited the van at our destination, then the whole process in reverse when coming back home.

Picking up school-agers, I checked them in as they entered the van, and we didn’t leave the school until I had all expected kids, or confirmation from a parent that they shouldn’t be picked up.

[springv]

T our center we debt transport period because of this exact reason

[springv]

At our center we don't transport period because of this exact thing happening

[hwichlaz]

I've forgotten schedule changes and been late because of it....for my own kid, lol. Crazy things like an hour early release so not even a half/minimum day :P

I was once 20 min late to pick up a daycare kiddo because just as we were leaving to get into the car....there was a poop explosion. I called the parent on speaker phone though, so she could let the teacher know.