Camp left my son in the park

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Preschoolers

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View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Pink

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 5:38 pm

BH, he's fine. Also, I will start off by saying this is not some shady backyard camp, this is a well-known gym that holds extra curricular activities all year round and runs in-between camps both at the start and end of the summer, as well during winter and spring breaks. They are legal, insured and everything.
Every afternoon after lunch, they go to a nearby playground. Today, when I went to pick him up at 4, he wasn't in camp. We searched the building, the bathroom, no DS. I looked through his bag and noticed it had his regular clothes- they change into bathing suits for the park because there's sprinklers. That's when it hit me he must not have returned from the park. Someone was sent to the park, while I called the police to ask if there were any reports of a child alone in a park, and if maybe a child was brought to the station. BH, they found DS safe and sound in the park, happily playing, completely oblivious that he was alone. He's 4 and was playing alone in the park for 3 hours. He was hungry and thirsty and a little sunburned, but overall happy. He said he peed in the bushes at some point.
I am so beyond LIVID. I mean, ok, I can understand them initially leaving him. It's not acceptable, but if was just a few minutes, it's an honest mistake. But to not even notice for THREE HOURS that he wasn't there? That's completely unacceptable! My son does have his head a bit in the clouds, but at the end of the day, he's 4 years old. It's not his responsibility to notice everyone is leaving, it's the responsibility of the adults to make sure they have all the kids! The camp was very apologetic and refunded all my money. They said he can finish out the week for free, but I'm not going to take them up on that. They also offered that I can sign him up for one of their courses this fall for free. I think I will do that, because the courses all take place in the gym, and I can be there the whole time. But, oy, what a terror this was!
And one more thing: how did no one at the park notice that a young child was all alone? In three hours, no one noticed this little boy just playing by himself and not even periodically running over to an adult on the bench? Please, mothers, be aware! If something seems off, if it seems like a child is alone, investigate! You could save a child! I dont even want to think about the million terrible things that could have happened. BH a thousand times over my little boy is safe and sound!

126

mommy3b2c

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 6:06 pm

I cannot even comment. If I was you I would have died from fright. Thank G-D he is safe. You should sue the pants off them. There is no excuse, AT ALL.

amother

Seafoam

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 6:13 pm

I am so sorry you went through that.

justmarried:)

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 6:18 pm

Very scary!

MagentaYenta

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 6:21 pm

Before you sign him up for any free classes, it may be prudent to ask the operators of this group when and why they do body counts. If they are slack enough to forget your child they may not notice if he wanders from the gym or if an unauthorized party picks him up. Just something to think about.

amother

Pink

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 6:32 pm

MY, I would sign him up for a Sunday class and me or dh would stay the whole time. These are 45 minute sessions. The rooms all have a watching area, so this would be pretty simple. Now I have to figure out what to do between now and school so I can go to work. My baby's sitter agreed to watch him tomorrow and Friday, but she doesn't usually take this age, she's doing it as a chesed because she heard what happened. I need arrangements for next week.
Yes mommy2b2c, I nearly died on the spot. I felt the blood drain from my body when we realized he wasn't in the building...

rainbow dash

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 6:37 pm

It happened to me too. I went to pick up my twins form school but only saw 1. I asked the teacher were is the other one and and she goes to check in the classroom and she was in there. The teacher had locked her in by accident. I went to the head of the school and complained. Since then they have kept the class door open and I told the twins to only leave together the classroom.

heidi

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 6:41 pm

OP, I can't even imagine what must be going through your head. All the what ifs, and the fact that maybe he needed something and had no one to ask . . .
There is no excuse on G-d's green earth for this to happen.
I agree that it could happen to by mistake leave a kid, but to not notice for THREE hours.
Baruch Hashem over and over that he was fine.
And give him a kiss from all us mothers who can imagine exactly how you feel!!!

Dolly Welsh

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 6:54 pm

Hugs and hugs.

amother

Teal

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:00 pm

OP so sorry for you. I can't imagine what you went through. I experienced a flash of this terror when I was a preschool assistant and at pickup, a mom came to get 2 kids, one of them darted right under my hand and down the stairs - the classroom was last in the hall, with a small staircase that led to an exit - and mom found the friend but not her own kid and turned on me all frantically, meanwhile her kid was patiently waiting at the door. These things happen in a second.

Which is why I COUNT COUNT COUNT. was it the staff member that wasn't adequately trained?

I was a counselor in day camp from 8th grade-seminary, some summers in 2 camps. I've had my range of campers and experience. I would mentally count the kids EVERY time we left the bunkroom or arrived to a different activity. When I was head counselor, I taught my counselors that if they are on a trip, divide the bunk amongst themselves and extra JC on hand for this purpose, and each counselor is responsible to keep eyes on her 5 campers at ALL TIMES. No one went to the bathroom without informing me, no such thing as not being in the same place as the bunk during an activity or running away from the group. This is basic basic basic. I literally counted them in my head, all day. One summer there was an ADD child who insisted on playing on the playground the whole day - there was a JC assigned to him, personally, to sit on the bench and watch him and take him inside for bathroom, lunch etc. A missing child is every camp's nightmare, insist that in the future their staff are better trained.

Last edited by amother on Wed, Aug 10 2016, 11:02 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:18 pm

oh my, you pooor thing. this is terrifyng.
Honestly, I would be tempted to sue them.\BH he is okay.

studying_torah

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:25 pm

My ds went w camp to an amusement park that was rented out to a few camps. He told me that the boys were on their own while the counselors had their own fun, and at one point his partners wandered off and he got totally lost. He b'h found some park staff and asked for directions twice.
I was furious too , but Dh says this is how all boys camps operate. It's crazy!
I'm so glad ur child is BH ok !!!

yidisheh mama

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:32 pm

yidisheh mama

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:33 pm

that was me being utterly speechless! cant imagine what it must feel like for you. hugs

amother

Cerise

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:34 pm

I was at a part today and noticed a camp there. I saw one of the counselors by the entrance of the park while they were there. I saw a lot of kids who weren't running to a parent though the whole time - even after they left, so it was hard to tell, there were also a lot of babysitters there. My own kids hardly came to me at all and I was trying hard to watch them that I wouldn't have noticed if another kid was there playing happily but without a parent - if a kid was crying and no one was helping him/her of course I would have noticed that!
That is crazy about the camp - I'm curious if it was the one I witnessed. OP are you located in the five towns?
The crazy thing is when I was there I was wondering why they didn't have name tags on all the kids in their care.... It looked hard to watch everyone and know who was with who.
OP that is incredibly scary. BH your son is ok, and that he didn't even notice! Was he looking for the counselors? or just happily playing?
I don't know what I would do, but that is totally not ok that this happened. they need to change their protocol completely to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. They should give your family a lifetime of free membership to their gym!

causemommysaid

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:34 pm

I am so horrified. This is my worst nightmare.

I really would hire a lawyer and sue the pants off of them. There is no excuse for this.

amother

Pink

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:45 pm

amother wrote:

Yes, in the Five Towns! If you were at the same park, then that is another terrifying thing, the park is right next to the train station. DS loves trains, ch'v he could've wandered to the tracks... I actually wish he would have fallen and gotten hurt. Not badly, but enough to cry, then maybe someone would have figured out he was alone...

amother

Cerise

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 7:55 pm

I was there Sad

I feel terrible!!!! I feel like I should have noticed!!! there were no kids there crying or looking like they didn't belong... but I totally felt when I saw the camp that they should have labeled all the kids somehow.. if he was crying or upset I really think (and hope) people including myself would have noticed and helped!! I was there until about 2:30, and saw the gym you are talking about there and then noticed they were gone. I wasn't really paying attention though so don't know how they left, at the time I thought it was smart that one of the counselors was by the entrance to make sure no one left.

trying1

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 8:22 pm

hugs- its sounds terrible.
Just a important note that no camp, school cheder etc should ever put name labels on the kids. The labels shold have the name of the camp/school/cheder etc and an emergency phone number. Putting the name of the child on the label can CV enable a 'stranger' -and we all know what I mean by that to call to the child and when a child is called by name they become so much more vulnerable.
Just my 2 cents

amother

Cerise

Wed, Aug 26 2015, 8:25 pm

trying1 wrote:

You are right..I meant a label saying they are from the camp. but you're right about having each kids name on them when they are out in public.

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