Grandfather picks up grandson from daycare and brings another child by mistake

A daycare center in Sydney, Australia, lost a one-year-old child for two hours on Monday, who was mistakenly taken by another child's grandfather.

A mother told The Sydney Morning Herald she panicked when she arrived at First Steps Learning Academy daycare in Bangor to pick up her son only to find he wasn't there.

The staff, who were forced to check the surveillance footage and call other parents, ended up telling her that the child had left with an older man in shorts, without being able to provide any further details such as his name or who he was supposed to have picked up.

“They couldn’t tell me who he was,” said the child’s mother, who doesn’t blame the grandfather but rather the daycare center for the incident that the New South Wales Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority considered “deeply concerning and serious” and for which a “full investigation” is already underway.

The grandfather's wife explained to the same Australian newspaper that her husband picked up his grandson during his nap time, while the living room was dark. "When he came home, the child snuggled up to him and fell asleep," but as soon as he realized it, he rushed him back to daycare, she emphasized, assuring that her husband "loves children" and has been unable to sleep or eat since.

The director of First Steps Learning Academy apologized to the families, saying it was a "human error" and that proper protocols were not followed. She also assured that the educator involved will remain on leave until the investigation is complete.

The incident comes at a time of growing awareness in the country regarding safety in daycare centers, with new legislative changes announced last month to improve safety standards in the sector.