The very thought is worrisome. That a child can go missing. From a childcare in Singapore.
Child goes missing in Singapore, from childcare
Mummy Justina Ong posted on Facebook yesterday about the nightmare she went through, when she got a call from her son’s childcare teacher, saying that her son had gone missing from school.
She writes about the incident that happened at My First Skool (Blk 140 Serangoon North Ave 2), “At 10:48 am, I received a call from school teacher saying that my son is missing from school.”
To her shock and relief, at about 10:53 am, “Yishun mrt staff called up saying that my son is there.”
She rushed to Yishun and was reunited with her son, “Really thank God he is fine. So after that I went back to school and I hope I can talk to the school principal and teachers nicely.”
“But what they told us is really driving us crazy.”
Apparently, the class teacher told Justina that, “At 10:15 am, she brought half of the class students which is around 7 students to outside the class to water and clear the plants.”
By 10.30am, all the students were back in class. But soon the teacher realised that Justina’s son was missing.
However, Justina feels that the teacher’s account is inaccurate, and the timings don’t really tally up, as, “Yishun mrt called us at 10.53 am and told us my son is there, so is impossible he can take bus 73 go to Ang Mo Kio mrt then to Yishun mrt.”
The teacher’s response, it seems was, “I maybe remember the timing wrongly.”
Needless to say, Justina is extremely disappointed by the lacklustre attitude of the school staff, “Please stop making up story! So you dun really know what time my son went missing?????? If now i cant find my son how??? What you going to do???”
She also reveals that her son is autistic, and the principal and teachers were well aware of his condition, “I know someone will ask why my son will do all this when he is big enough to know this is wrong. But please note he is an autism kid and he been in this school since toddler, principal and all teachers in the school know about his situation.”
“And ya as a parent I did ask my son to say sorry to the teachers as it is wrong to run away from school.”
She feels thankful that the child could recollect her phone number, “I seriously need to thank AWWA teachers for teaching my son to remember my contact number if not I might not be able to find son and I might have lost my son forever.”
Thank you, Justina for sharing your experience. We are glad that your son is safe.
Meanwhile, theAsianparent also reached out to My First Skool and General Manager for My First Skool, Mrs Adeline Tan has responded, “We apologise unreservedly for this incident which has caused great stress and worry to the family of a child under our care.”
“The boy has been with us since he was a toddler and our teachers have always conscientiously looked out for him.”
“Upon discovering that the child was not with his classmates yesterday morning during a gardening activity, the teachers at the centre did their best to search for the child in the vicinity of the centre, before the teacher in charge of the gardening activity contacted the parent.”
“The teacher-in-charge is deeply apologetic and badly shaken by this incident. She is being counselled and understands that appropriate disciplinary action will have to be taken. We are doing our utmost to engage with the parent on this incident.”
Important info to teach your child
Parents should always prepare their children for emergencies. Here is some important information that every parent should teach her child:
- The child should know her first and last name. That’s the first thing your child will be asked when he’s lost.
For younger kids, before you go outside (especially to crowded places), it is good to prepare a name card ready with the child’s and parent’s details. This particularly holds true for autistic children.
Even if your child can recite your phone number, it is always a good idea to write it where he can keep it, in case he forgets.
Some parents are known to opt for wearable tracking devices, like smart watches, which can be tracked by a mobile app.
- Your full name and mobile number (For younger kids, write it down and put it somewhere easily accessible).
- The child should be taught not to go anywhere, accept anything from, or get into a car with anyone. Tell your child to yell loudly if anyone tries to make him go somewhere.
- The child should also be wary of of grown-ups asking for help. If grown ups really want help, they’ll approach adults, not kids.
- Teach your child about safe strangers, people he can approach in case he is in trouble.
Also READ: The tragic truth behind why this Singapore mum leashes her child