A grandfather in Australia made the mistake of taking home the wrong child from daycare, leading to a chaotic situation. According to the New York Post, a toddler went missing from Bangor’s First Steps Learning Academy on Tuesday, September 2, in Sydney.
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Grandfather “Distraught” After Accidentally Picking Up Wrong Child From Daycare
The child’s mother came to pick up her young boy, only to find him not there. Staff quickly reviewed the CCTV footage and contacted other parents to identify who had picked him up.
They eventually found out that a grandfather came to pick up his grandchild, only to take home the wrong kid. According to the grandmother, the room was dark and the children were sleeping when he picked him up.
“He was asleep, and he’d got him out of the car,” said the grandfather’s wife tearfully. The boy was also struggling in his car seat. “He didn’t really notice much difference because he doesn’t do the car seat that often, so his biggest thing was trying to (work out) the seat,” she said.
The grandfather had no inkling that something was wrong, even when they arrived home. “When he got him home, he just snuggled him and went to sleep, and he didn’t realise,” she continued.
“He has the same hair, and he had the dummy in his mouth, and (my husband) said, ‘He’s not well. He’s not himself.'”
She mentioned caring for their grandchild on Sunday and remembered how he was feeling unwell that day due to teething. So it didn’t seem out of the ordinary that he was off again that day.
After finding out their mistake, the couple was reportedly “distraught.”
Despite this mistake, the NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority confirmed it would launch a “thorough investigation.” It also described this incident as “deeply concerning and serious.”
In a statement to news.com.au, Trisha Hastie from First Steps Learning Academy apologized. “We sincerely apologise to the families directly involved in this deeply upsetting and isolated incident, and to the broader First Steps community for the distress it has caused,” said Hastie.
“The safety and well-being of every child in our care is our highest priority. While we have always maintained strict protocols for drop-off and pick-up, in this case those processes were not followed correctly. The educator involved has been stood down.”
Hastie confirmed the daycare would work on improving its drop-off and pick-up procedures. She then ensured this mistake would never happen again.