Stephanie Martinez said she found the KinderCare Child Care Center in Plantation locked up and with the lights off when she arrived to pick up her daughter, Ani, who is only 2.
A Florida mother said was shocked to find her 2-year-old daughter left by herself and locked inside her daycare center only 15 minutes after she was scheduled to be picked up.
Stephanie Martinez said she found the KinderCare Child Care Center in Plantation locked up and with the lights off when she arrived to pick up her daughter, Ani. Martinez called 911 as she could see her little girl peering out from a pitch-black room. Martinez also filmed the ordeal.
“She managed to push a chair to the door to stand on it and call my name, and that was the only reason I was able to see her, is because she is shorter than the door,” Martinez said. “She got on the chair to call out ‘mommy.’”
The 911 operator could not believe what she was hearing.
“She’s inside by herself?” the operator asks.
“Yes, she’s crying. She’s inside by herself,” Martinez replies.
“OK, honey. How old is your child?” the operator asks.
“She’s two. She’s only two,” Martinez replies.
“Gosh,” the 911 operator says.
Firefighters responded to the scene and broke down the door.
In a statement, the daycare center said, in part, “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the children in our care.” It says it has placed staff members involved on administrative leave.
“We’ll also take immediate steps … to ensure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again,” the statement added.
