Daycare fined after child, 3, slipped away and was picked up by passer-by
A childcare center in Brisbane has been fined nearly $15,000 after a three-year-old child who had left the area was picked up by a passerby despite being told 20 minutes earlier that the child was outside unsupervised.
The child escaped undetected from Only About Children Morningside nursery on June 23, 2023, and was spotted by a member of the public a few minutes later.
The person contacted the headcount center to confirm the three-year-old’s departure.
A second call 20 minutes later by a passerby confirmed that the child had been picked up.
A second passerby brought back the boy, who had been outside unattended for about 30 minutes.
Judge Lewis Shillito said it was “good luck, not good management” that the child was not harmed.
Shillito said 30 minutes is a long time for a 3-year-old child without an adult, adding that the child was traveling alone off-road.
Only About Children Morningside is located on Thynne Road, opposite Morningside Police Station and approximately 400 meters from Wynnum Road.
The center has been in operation for almost 50 years (previously operating as Puss in Boots Early Childhood Learning Centre) and was acquired by Only About Children in 2021.
The Department for Education’s Early Childhood Regulatory Authority took the company to court for failing to adequately supervise and protect children from harm and danger, and for allowing a child to leave the area.
Shillito said Only About Children took responsibility for the incident.
He ordered the company to pay a $14,500 fine as well as $2,500 in state legal fees.
Just About Kids has been contacted for comment.
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