CHILD ENDS UP BATHROOM SINK UNDER DAYCARE WATCH!
** I…read morewasn't able to upload video so i added stills!
If I were to give this daycare a negative 5-star review, I wouldn't hesitate! Here's why:
Firstly, when we initially spoke with Ashley, who presented herself as the owner of River Oak Academy in Watertown and Torrington Preschool Center in Torrington, the onboarding process seemed sketchy. They insisted that we sign up for Care For Kids, even though they claimed to have connections with the program. Despite this red flag, we decided to enroll our child in the school, paying $250 instead of the originally requested $395 with Care For Kids.
However, several issues started to arise. The phone on-site would ring their personal cell phones, making it difficult to immediately connect with someone on-site. One of the Directors in particular was often unavailable, citing issues with their phone carrier. Additionally, the lead teacher of the preschool-aged group, would frequently contact us about our child's unsafe behavior. We questioned the cause of these behaviors, but the "lead teacher" would simply attribute them to transitions between activities. The only communication through the Bright Wheel app seemed to be when our son misbehaved, with little to no positive feedback recorded.
River Oak Academy would make us sign incident reports for minor incidents caused by our son, such as accidentally scratching someone. However, when our son's lip was cut by another child, we had to request an incident report. As the weeks went by, the lead teacher consistently complained about our child's unsafe behavior, which led to us canceling activities to address the issue. Despite this, the school claimed they could still support him.
In January, shortly after our son's 3rd birthday, we received no communication through the Bright Wheel app, assuming he had a good day. However, just before pick-up, the lead teacher messaged us, requesting to speak. Frustrated by the late notification, we called the "lead teacher's" cell phone since the school's phone was still not working. She explained our son's "unsafe" behavior during lunch, and mentioned that he had climbed into the sink when another teacher turned her back to assist a student with pick up. We requested video evidence or documentation, but none was provided at the time.
During pick-up, my partner met with the two teachers and the director, who showed him a video of our son in the sink while repeatedly telling him, "It's not a bathtub, right?" We continued to ask for more information, but they kept repeating the same story. When we got home we called River Oak to set up a meeting for the next morning. The Director, who was not present during pick-up, answered and mentioned that their phone was still not working. However, less than 10 minutes later, the other director called and informed us that she had reviewed the tape and saw a teacher putting our child in the bathroom after dragging him on the floor. That night, we contacted the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and filed a complaint of neglect.
In conclusion, our experience with this daycare has been incredibly concerning and alarming, prompting us to take immediate action to ensure our child's safety and well-being.
