“We feel devastated, particularly for the mother. It shouldn’t have happened,” she said, explaining that incident was a “nightmare” mistake.
“When he realised he raced that child back so fast,” she said through tears.
“I am cranky at my husband but in saying that my heart is broken for him. He is a man who loves children, he loves his grandchildren, he is absolutely beside himself. He can’t sleep, he can’t eat. I am just so glad the little boy was OK, and his parents are OK.”
She said her husband arrived when the children were sleeping and the room was dark.
“He was asleep, and he’d got him out of the car,” she said.
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“He was struggling with the car seat. He didn’t really notice much different because he doesn’t do the car seat that often, so his biggest thing was trying to [work out] the seat.
“When he got him home, he just snuggled into him and went to sleep, and he didn’t realise.”
The NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority said it would conduct a “thorough investigation” into the “deeply concerning and serious incident” in a statement.
“We will not hesitate to act to protect children’s health, safety and wellbeing.”
NSW Greens MP Abigail Boyd, who is chair of an upper house inquiry into the early childhood education sector, said the case was “far from an isolated incident.”
Inside the Bangor childcare centre
“I’ve seen plenty of similar cases occurring in services across the state. Unfortunately issues like this are to be expected in under-resourced services staffed with a transient and casualised workforce – circumstances that are rife across the sector,” Boyd said.
First Steps Learning Academy’s Trisha Hastie said that it was a “case of human error” and that the centre’s protocols were not followed to the requisite standard.
“For this, we unreservedly apologise to both families involved. The educator involved has been stood down pending investigation,” she said.
The centre, which she said has never had a similar incident, has changed its procedures so “unfamiliar individuals” are met at the door, a staff member will verify before children leave, and each child will have a verification card with parents’ photos, and authorised contacts.
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“In light of this incident, we are conducting refresher training for all staff across our centres, incorporating the new procedures to ensure they are followed to the highest standard,” she said.
First Steps Learning Academy, which is licensed for up to 40 children daily, claims to “provide childcare in a safe, inclusive, welcoming, fun and nurturing environment for children 0 to 6 years” on its website.
“Our warm, friendly, and family orientated centre radiates character and love in every room! We strive for excellence in early childhood care and education in a safe, inclusive, welcoming, fun and nurturing environment.”
On its last inspection in March last year, daycare watchdog the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) rated the centre as meeting its criteria.
However, the accuracy of ratings has come into question after the Herald revealed one in six NSW childcare services hold a “secret” rating of high risk or very high risk – but families at these centres would have no idea.
A former employee at the centre, who spoke to the Herald on the condition of anonymity to protect their current employment, said First Steps “relies heavily on casual and agency staff, with a high turnover of workers”.
“I’ve never worked at more of a chaotic, disaster[ous] and emotionally draining service. I was constantly working with casual staff and no one knew the children as I was new to the business,” they said.
It comes at a time of profound scrutiny on the besieged early education sector, and revelations centres are continuing to operate despite having extensive compliance issues and breaches.
Last month Australia’s education ministers met to discuss child safety in early education and care.
They agreed to an $189 million childcare funding package, trialling CCTV cameras in up to 300 childcare centres to guard against abuse, and banning workers from using their phones on the job.
Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said the incident was “extremely concerning” and “completely unacceptable.”
Police returned to the centre on Wednesday, with the minister confirming “the Early Learning Regulator has taken immediate action to notify NSW Police and commence an investigation into the operations of the centre, with the educator stood down indefinitely while the investigation takes place,” Houssos said.
NSW Police are aware of the incident, but are not investigating.
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