GRANDFATHER’S WORST NIGHTMARE: He Takes Home WRONG Toddler from Sydney Childcare Centre in Shocking Blunder
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- A chilling mix-up at a Sydney daycare centre saw a grandfather accidentally take home the wrong toddler, sparking a formal investigation.
- The sleeping child was handed over to the grandfather at the First Steps Learning Academy in Bangor, with the mistake only discovered when the boy’s mother arrived to find her son missing.
- The daycare centre has stood down an educator and apologised to families, amid wider concerns over neglect and abuse in the childcare sector.
A Sydney grandfather’s routine pick-up from childcare turned into a nightmare when he was handed the wrong toddler, sparking a formal investigation into the centre. The shocking blunder unfolded at the First Steps Learning Academy in Bangor on Monday afternoon, leaving the boy’s mother frantic and the grandfather devastated.
The incident occurred when the grandfather arrived to collect his grandchild, only to be handed a sleeping toddler who was not his. It was not until the boy’s mother arrived later to find her son missing that the mistake was discovered.
“I can’t explain the feeling,” the mother told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We don’t blame him. We are not angry with him. We are not upset at him. We blame the daycare.”
The grandfather’s wife described her husband’s reaction as “devastated” when he realised the error. “He raced the child back so fast,” she said. “I am just so glad the little boy was OK.”
The NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority has launched a “thorough investigation” into the incident, which has been described as a “deeply concerning and serious” breach. An educator has been stood down while the inquiry continues.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over the childcare sector, following a string of allegations of neglect and abuse at centres across NSW and Victoria. First Steps Learning Academy operator Trisha Hastie issued an apology to the families involved, stressing that the case was “isolated”.
“This has never happened before at Bangor, or at any of our other centres,” she said. “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. We have acted immediately to strengthen our procedures and ensure this never happens again.”
The boy was returned safely and did not suffer any harm. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of stringent protocols in childcare settings.