(Courtesy Orange Co. Register) |
ANAHEIM -- A YMCA day-care center may lose its license after two toddlers wandered away and were later found on nearby railroad tracks.
In a complaint filed this week, the Department of Social Services said the YMCA ChildrenÂ’s Station violated health and safety laws by failing to adequately supervise and protect the 2-year-old boys.
The state investigation concluded the day-care center did not have enough adults supervising children during an Aug. 20 outing to a park next to the center at 103 S. Atchison St. and failed to notify police or the boysÂ’ parents when they realized the boys were missing.
The center also failed to have a written procedure to sign children in and out.
The center had been cited Feb. 19 for failing to ensure parents were signing their children in and out with their full legal names, regulators said.
In a written statement, Paul Andresen, president and chief executive of the Anaheim Family YMCA, says he is requesting an appeal hearing.
“Over the past 15 years, the Children’s Station has worked cooperatively with the state to maintain compliance with all safety regulations, and has positively impacted thousands of kids and families,” the statement said.
“We are cooperating with the state to address their concerns in a responsible way, and are currently working with our attorneys to assist in the appeal process.”
The children were discovered by a local couple who called police.
The couple stayed with the children until police arrived.
Rosie Mendez, 36, told reporters that her son, 2-year-old Eric, was one of the boys who walked away from the center.
She said she arrived at the daycare center shortly after 5 p.m. unaware that her son was missing.
"I usually see him there playing on the playground, but this time I didn't," Mendez said. "I figured he would be in the classroom."
He wasn't there either.
That is when a staff member told Mendez that her child was somehow lost at 3 p.m., while daycare staff was outside with the children.
The toddlers apparently climbed through a hole in a fence to reach the railroad tracks. The hole has since been covered up.
The children apparently walked for a half hour, making it about a mile down the tracks.
Commuter trains run about every 30 minutes on weekday afternoons on the Metrolink tracks.
In a complaint filed this week, the Department of Social Services said the YMCA ChildrenÂ’s Station violated health and safety laws by failing to adequately supervise and protect the 2-year-old boys.
The state investigation concluded the day-care center did not have enough adults supervising children during an Aug. 20 outing to a park next to the center at 103 S. Atchison St. and failed to notify police or the boysÂ’ parents when they realized the boys were missing.
The center also failed to have a written procedure to sign children in and out.
The center had been cited Feb. 19 for failing to ensure parents were signing their children in and out with their full legal names, regulators said.
In a written statement, Paul Andresen, president and chief executive of the Anaheim Family YMCA, says he is requesting an appeal hearing.
“Over the past 15 years, the Children’s Station has worked cooperatively with the state to maintain compliance with all safety regulations, and has positively impacted thousands of kids and families,” the statement said.
“We are cooperating with the state to address their concerns in a responsible way, and are currently working with our attorneys to assist in the appeal process.”
The children were discovered by a local couple who called police.
The couple stayed with the children until police arrived.
Rosie Mendez, 36, told reporters that her son, 2-year-old Eric, was one of the boys who walked away from the center.
She said she arrived at the daycare center shortly after 5 p.m. unaware that her son was missing.
"I usually see him there playing on the playground, but this time I didn't," Mendez said. "I figured he would be in the classroom."
He wasn't there either.
That is when a staff member told Mendez that her child was somehow lost at 3 p.m., while daycare staff was outside with the children.
The toddlers apparently climbed through a hole in a fence to reach the railroad tracks. The hole has since been covered up.
The children apparently walked for a half hour, making it about a mile down the tracks.
Commuter trains run about every 30 minutes on weekday afternoons on the Metrolink tracks.
