A Sydney daycare is under investigation after a grandfather mistakenly took home the wrong toddler, leading to an educator’s suspension and renewed scrutiny of childcare safety standards.
A Sydney daycare centre is under investigation after a grandfather mistakenly collected the wrong toddler, prompting the suspension of a staff member.
The incident occurred on Monday at First Steps Learning Academy in Bangor when the man, intending to pick up his grandchild, was mistakenly handed another sleeping one-year-old.
The error went unnoticed until the boy’s mother arrived later to collect her son and discovered he was missing.
“I can’t explain the feeling,” the mother told the Sydney Morning Herald, adding that her family held the daycare responsible rather than the grandfather, who “raced the child back so fast” once he realised the mistake. His wife said he was “devastated” by the ordeal.
New South Wales’ Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority described the event as a “deeply concerning and serious incident” and confirmed a “thorough investigation” was underway. Police were notified but said they were not conducting an investigation.
Trisha Hastie, the provider of First Steps Learning Academy, apologised to affected families, admitting “processes were not followed correctly” and confirming the educator involved had been stood down. She stressed the error was an isolated case, pledging stricter safeguards to prevent future lapses.