Daycare closes for the weekend, allegedly leaves baby behind

BILLINGS, Mont. (KRON) — A daycare center in Montana is in hot water after a 6-month-old child was reportedly left behind and staff closed up for the weekend. 

According to KTVQ, Tanaya Merchen, the mother of 6-month-old Avery, went to pick him up at the Kids R Us daycare on Friday when she arrived to a dark building and the door locked. 

She called the daycare and spoke to someone who came back to unlock the building and let her son out. 

“It’s very scary. The guilt that I’m feeling right now for leaving my child in the care of somebody else, that did not care at all for my child,” Merchen told KTVQ.  “I can’t even tell you, it’s overwhelming at this point. I could not put him down last night. I mean, that’s all I could do is just sit there and so thankful that nothing bad happened to him during that situation.”

According to KULR, Child Care Licensing (CCL) found in April of 2014 that the daycare center did not have updated records and that they did not have a daily attendance record that was accurate. 

CCL says 18 children were present but only three children were signed in. 

That same year, CCL found that 18 children, including four infants, were in the care of one unapproved caregiver. 

In June 2017, CCL found again that 8 children were found in the care of one caregiver. 

CCL says there should always be at least two caregivers caring for the children whenever there are more than 6 children present. 

The owner of the daycare center has since spoken out, saying there was “a miscommunication among staff members” that resulted in the baby getting left behind.