Creme Plano-Accidents?

Accidents happen even when children are at home under a parents care so that would not be a reason for me to pull my child out. However the fact that the director flat out lied to you would cause me to go strait there and withdraw my child immediately.

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Care/Search_Texas_Child...

I understand your frustration over the director calling you after you had indeed picked her up. And yet, I'm sure she was distracted by something before she made the call. I doubt it means she really thought your daughter was still in the school.

As for not being watched.. Do you really think providers and caregivers can have their eyes on one single child the entire time? Even a nanny of one child could not do that. My mother, my daughter, and myself are in this house with 5 children every single day. My 11 year old is doing her homework. But she loves the kids and is a great helper. My mother is 66 and isn't "in charge". But she keeps an eye and ear out and she helps. I am in charge and I must do things like sweep, pick up, prepare food, change diapers, talk to parents, answer the phone, put the laundry through, and the list is literally endless. Even with 3 people that are old enough and responsible enough to watch for behaviors like running, pushing, shoving, biting, etc.. Sometimes, stuff happens.

Now, you imagine having several rooms, one director, one or two teachers per room and at least 4-8 kids per provider depending on the ages? I'm not even sure of the numbers in New York. But there's no way that you can expect them to have eyes in all parts of their heads or to have full-time support staff to do nothing but clean up after everything they do. These are providers that are not necessarily doing any personal laundry or housekeeping as such, but they are preparing lessons, filling out daily sheets for parents, filling out accident reports, dealing with discipline, teaching, and you hope and expect they are cleaning and inspecting toys, etc.

I am very sorry about your child's scar. But that can happen anyplace.

I agree with KR....... accidents do happen... but what would bother me the MOST is that the director is possibly trying to lie to you about her checking on her..... at that point, did you ask her what TIME she went to check on her? That would have been interesting to see what she said about that..... since you had picked her up about 15 minutes before she called you. (Her idea of "just went in to check on her" may indeed be 15-20 minutes...... she may have gotten tied up with something else before she had a chance to call you.)

Can you check with the licensing agency to see if there had been any complaints/violations against that daycare?

I do not know about Creme in Plano for starters.

Keep in mind the damage people try to do to a company, person, etc when they feel they have been wronged. Slander is common.

I would not be asking people who may want to trash the place their opinions. Go straight to the director with what you have heard (hearsay) and just ask. You have every right to go ask and be given an answer.

Then, make your choice as to pull her out or not.

NO, I would not sue either.... yes, accidents happen, even under mom's care. Some kids are accident prone.

As for her scar, use vitamin e oil and massage it daily. It works wonders for healing scars and is less than $5 at your local pharmacy.

I do not know of the daycare. But have worked at a few. Most of the time it is 2 teachers to 22 children or 11 to 1. Accidents are going to happen. Teachers only have two eyes and the day can get a bit caotic at times. If the teacher was tending to another child etc the accident can easily be missed . If your overall unhappy with the place find another but it happens at every daycare for the most part. I know your paying to have your daughter taken care of,but imagine having 11 or 22 2 year olds in your living room. It can get crazy! Good luck with whatever you decide.

I do not have any personal experience with this particular center however I would like to make you aware of the state website where you can view this centers inspection record. It is www.dfps.state.tx.us. Once you get to this site, simply click on the "Search for Child Care Texas" You can follow the directions to search for centers in Plano. All Licensed and Registered home and center child care providers are listed here where you can access their inspection record, their compliance history, as well as the severity of any violations found . I took a look and saw that Creme of Plano has 2 violations in the "high risk" category. One of which happened in August 2011, the other back in 2010. You can view these and decide for yourself if you find anything worth worrying about.
Another thing I would like to mention is, as a Director, it is state law for us to call our licensing worker each and every time an accident happens which requires the child to get medical assistance. This is called "self reporting". If your Director is not doing this then they are not in compliance and once again it would be your decision as to whether you feel this is important enough to merit withdrawing your child.

I think you should follow your gut on this one. How do you feel when you drop your daughter off? If you feel good about leaving her then keep her there. If you drop her off and feel a little uneasy I would find another daycare. Accidents are going to happen in a daycare center more than at home; however, I am a little surprised she got a large scar on her face. Is the outside play equipment unsafe in some areas? Also I would be very concerned about the director not knowing if your child was still at the center. How did you feel about the meeting with the director? If she seemed very responsive and you see things changing then it is probably a good thing, but if she seemed to be all talk I would move sooner rather than later. Good luck! I know issues at daycare are never fun.

So not good! Here you can write to the state office that overseas daycares and get that daycare's entire file! Be sure to know how long it has had the name it currently has - cause if it had another name, you will have to do it under both names!

btw - my dgd broke her arm at daycare when she was about 4 - they were all outside playing on the climb-on stuff and she slid off a little faster than she intended and put her hands up to stop herself --- since they called me immediately (as could not get ahold of bio), I have no problem with them (loved that daycare - hated to see it close) and the director had all the papers and such ready for me the next morning to file a claim with their insurance - and told me to use it cause otherwise she pays for it for nothing!

OK I just had to chime in on this one. We took our daughter out of a structured loving montessori school so that she could have some "fun" before starting kinder. the school we chose was Creme Allen. We lasted 7 months and knew by month 4 that we had made a mistake. We talked to my daughter about going back to the montessori and she wanted to stay at Creme. My daughter had a several "accidents" and she fell way behind in her learning. We ended up pulling her out of Creme and took her back to her montessori school after an incident that involved one of the teachers. After the first day back she said thank you mommy- no one is mean to me and I am learning. I cried because I knew something was wrong but they were so friendly and seemed proactive. It was just hard to pinpoint.
My word of advice: Start looking for a new school. You pay a premium to go to Creme and there are several programs out there that have so much to offer. Find one that fits your families needs and one that your child will thrive in. Your daughter cannot fully verbalize her feelings or tell you what is going on at the school. Your experience w/ Creme sounds similar to mine the only difference is that my daughter is much older and could tell me what happened.
We ended up keeping my daughter at the montessori through their private Kindergarten program and she is thriving. Good luck to you! Go with your gut feeling- you know that something doesn't add up so listen to that whisper.

The fact that the director claimed she checked on your daughter and further said that she was fine and playing with other children, when your child was not even there, would be reason enough for me to pack up my childs belongings and hit the road running. The director sets the tone for the facility and its teachers. If she cant do things right herself then why would anyone think she was capable of training others. In the childcare industry you must always think as a child would and react like an adult. i.e. walk all areas of the facility with a childs eye, notice everything and fix all accident causing hazards before they become a problem.

Your uneasiness and concern for her safety is your intuition trying to tell you that something is not right. Add in the lying and lack of supervision and you have your answer.

Yes accidents do happen, but the lying does not. Did you bring that up? I would show up unexpectedly to check things out and perhaps would even call the dept. of children of whatever to file a parental complaint. Get them checking. You are her voice. Now perhaps just perhaps she is clumsy. But you know her she is in your home. Does she fall a lot? Does she get hurt at home? Most care takers really care for the children but there are a few that only are there for a paycheck. Don't be afraid to be that parent. Good Luck go with your gut!

If the director is a liar, all bets are off. You need to settle this issue for yourself.

Any highly-reputed program can fall apart under poor directorship. Bad directors are usually poison to a daycare. They tend to drive away the good staff and protect people that should not be pursuing a career with children. Just my opinion...

I'm a preschool teacher and do not think you are overreacting. If you have caregivers who are admittedly not watching your child, and your child is being repeatedly injured-- get her out of there now. Kids do get hurt at daycare, but attentive caregivers can usually tell you what likely happened, even if the teachers were sprinting across the playyard and didn't make it there in time to stop the accident. Kids should be within sight/sound of the teachers at all times. The fact that no one had even a clue about what might have happened (what she was standing next to, if she'd fallen) is disturbing.

Ultimately, I would never leave my child at a place where I did not 100% trust the staff and the director. If the director is lying to parents, this is just the tip of the iceberg, from my experience. I've worked with a couple of bad directors, and boy, they always had a way to weasel out of uncomfortable situations-- however, it didn't stop the more-aware parents from leaving. My experience has taught me that the dysfunction that bad directors cultivate only ends when they leave. So, be careful about how you approach this person and how open-ended you leave your questions.

In regard to checking out safety violations, make a call to your local childcare resource and referral agency. (This is often a county or state entity). Ask them how to check for complaints/concerns filed against a daycare. It's also the case that some families may not have filed a complaint, and the daycare is not required to file how many serious injuries they've had. Accidents do happen, however, in my years of working with kids, I've never had a child get hurt and *not* have had an inkling of what might have happened.

It sounds like normal accidents that can happen anywhere, at any school at any friend's house and even your own home.

I had an experience with my only child when she was 5 months old. I had her in one of the best daycare facilities money could buy and she was given another childs medicine with the dispenser the other child was using.....needless to say my baby ended up with RSV as a result and was hospitalized. If you do not feel confident or comfortable, move her!!!!! As a parent you have ever right to want what is best for your child, without concern about what anyone else may think or say.

I had a girlfriend that also had issues with the Creme in Plano. She is now at the Allen Creme and has been much happier; however, if you are looking for a fabulous environment for not only learning and development but overall care, my daughter attends Richmond Hill Montessori, which is truly around the corner from Creme Plano. I moved my daughter twice before enrolling her at RHM 15 months ago. The director and staff are wonderful. I am a very "hands on" parent and believe in ensuring my child is not only safe and happy, but getting the best care possible if I can not be with her. I have truly found that at Richmond Hill.

Use your best judgement as one no can tell you what's best for your child and you need the peace of mind in knowing she is being well cared for when you are not with her.

I can't speak as to whether or not you should pull her out and put her somewhere else, but i the ONLY cause is because she has fallen/scraped/bruised herself a couple of times then I think you need relax a little. She is only 2, and 2 year olds fall ALL time. Unless you literally walk less than 1 step away or hold her hand constantly, she will fall and bruises/scrapes will happen. I don't think that their inability to tell you what happened means she wasn't being watched. It could, but I also know that I have 3 children and in the length of time it takes me to walk down the hall, any number of accidents or incidents could occur and I would not be able to tell you what it is. The teacher could have literally turned her head to sneeze and in that time frame your daughter could have tripped or fallen and caused that bruise. I personally think going to the doctor because of a bruised forehead is a little overkill. Most doctors expect bruising on heads, knees, shins and elbows- these are common impact spots for falls in toddlers. It's the abdomen, back, thigh or upper arm bruises that cause suspicion. Your director is right, how they are acting and playing is a much better indicator of injury then just looking at bruises or scratches after a fall. My 6 yr old comes home from school with massive bruises on his shins or arms and he can't even remember if he fell or how it happened. Anyway, you may have good reason to pull her out and take her somewhere else, and this may not be the place for you. However, I just wanted to point out that if the only problem you have is her frequent "accidents", then you may run in to this problem everywhere she goes that includes any kind of play area. 2 year olds are clumsy and fall alot. Just take that into consideration as you make your decision.

Don't know about that particular daycare but here's my 2 cents - accidents happen, kids at that age are clumsy. BUT, ultimately it is your baby and you need to go with your gut. Good luck!