United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi Everyone! Please respond and tell me if I'm the crazy one here....I was driving to a doctor's appointment this morning and while driving past a daycare nearby I noticed a teacher walking four children(about 18 months old) in a little wagon. I was at a stop sign-one of the little boys was nodding off and I really looked because it was so cute (I can remember when my kids used to fall asleep like that). Anyway, the teacher tapped his cheek to wake him up and then snatched him up out of the wagon by ONE ARM!!!!!!She then tossed him like a ragdoll allowing all of his weight to be hung on that one arm. She almost dropped him as she shifted him under her armpit then proceeded to carry him like a watermelon under her arm. I was in total disbelief! Now comes the crazy part......of course I called Children's Services and after being given three different phone numbers I finally got in touch with the "Institutional Abuse" hotline. I explained what I had witnessed and the woman on the other end acted like it was nothing. I asked her what was going to be done and she said she didn't know why I was calling her - someone from another unit should take care of these complaints. I became quite emotional and told her that "they" need to get their act together and how disappointed I was at her lack of concern. She then told me to stop attacking her and I quote "ma'am, what you described IS NOT considered abuse under state law blah blah blah." She then went on (in a condescending voice) about how the facts I gave her weren't enough to constitute an investigation. She said "do you know her name?" How the heck would I know the teacher's name if I was only driving by the school???? I am so disgusted. She said that there needs to be bruises or some physical evidence. What planet am I on???? I witnessed this with my own eyes!!! What do you guys think I should do at this point???? I'm thinking about waiting until my husband comes home and going over to the daycare myself.....any words of wisdom out there???

Rachel, Thank you for taking the time to report this and I'm sorry that it fell on deaf ears. I would check your local white pages and there should be a child abuse hotline and in some states the form is available online. As for going to the daycare, don't be surprised if this behavior is tolerated by their office. I had a foster child for a year and you won't believe the things they get away with. Keep strong and follow through. Take care!

Rachel, I too would be shocked and furious if I saw that happening.. Thank you for reporting the incident==it is very sad that it fell on deaf ears. I for one, would go to the daycare and speak directly with the director, and if that fails, talk to her boss, if it is a chain of them, like Children's World, Sunrise... also do what the previous poster suggested, check the white pages, or heck, even call the police (as a non emergency of course)..there has to be something someone can do.

Tami

I have to tell you that this is exactly what happened in Maia's daycare and when I witnessed it, it was the very LAST moment she was in there.

I saw the teacher's assistant pick up a child by her arm and carry her across the room. My mouth dropped to the floor. I grabbed all of Maia's things - didn't even say goodbye and left. I called the police and they got the daycare police involved - I'm sorry I don't remember the name of that agency but they were right on it. I gave about 10 interviews on the phone to different agencies and police officers in the next two weeks. The two teachers in that classroom were fired. I'm SO GLAD I did this.

You know - this brings up a very interesting thing... because I also had problems at Maia's camp.

We need to educate EDUCATORS about the correct way to pick up a child. Maybe articles in magazines that educators /day care workers read? Maybe letters to the editor? I think this is a very important population that we have to educate.

It's way scary.

-francine

Rachel, this disgusts me and as a parent I think that is a degrading thing to do to a child, pick them up dangling and carry them like a football- I can't stand to see them carried that way. I know at Logan's new preschool I was going in to pick up Logan and a worker picked up a little boy about 1 like that in the hallway and I just stopped in my tracks and made it obvious to her that I had seen her and was disgusted by it. I then turned around and asked for the "big dog".
We went into her office, I told her I was Logan's mom, the child with the obpi, and that I better NEVER EVER see her do that to my child or anyone else's again. And I told her the medical reasons why and why we, as educators, should discourage this pickup. I further more told her that I would love to do an inservice on the medical inpropriateness on this form of pick up of a child. I haven't heard from her to this point but she was very interested and sincere in her concern and said she would speak to her employees. Oh, by the way, this lady was the new parent-child liason for the school- and she needed the education!!

I am so happy to see that you took the time to report this.... many people every day see things like this and just accept it -- feeling that it is non of their business... But how children are treated in out society is ALL of our business... THEY are our future... What has that teacher taught that poor little baby???

I am so angry. How can you expect children to show respect if they are not treated with dignity and respect..... ok... so I am angry too...

I do have real issues with anyone picking up children by the arms... guess because no one was allowed to pick me up by my arms...

Good for you... don't let this discourage you from stepping up when you see something like this again.

Kath

sounds like exactly what I would have done to my baby if I didnt want him to go to sleep, assuming the baby wasnt crying or anything ofcourse, I dont mean to sound rude AT ALL_ and quite possibly your perception included more than I am aware of but, I have snatched every single one of my babies up one time or another in an effort to keep them awake -so they would sleep at nap...Ive carried all of them at one time or another by one arm, even the one with BPI- and they are none the worse for it- and Im not sure about the watermelon position, but if yo mean facing outward with my arm around their chest and their back against my chest I loved that position- (much nicer than carrying them in a carrier-you know those ones with the handles? that drives me CRAZY to see! )
But I believe in callings, and if you had some intuitive calling to call the place about their employee than perhaps you should ,not out of anger but out of pure love, call the day care center and just gently tell them what you saw, then its in their hands- thats just my opinion blessings on your dilemma, I only read the first page so Im not sure if you added more- m

Rachel, you did the right thing. I'm a Director at a large center and I actually orientate new employees on how to manuever and handle a child. And picking up or pulling by one arm is never allowed. I was actually doing this before Cole was born and I knew nothing about BPI's at that time. We are taught from the beginning that there is NO reason to pick up or pull a child by their arms. We have the Department of Human Services (it's listed in the phone book under our city and county) that regulates us and they are the ones a person would phone with a concern or complaint. The health dept. should also be able to lead you in the right direction. I would certainly appreciate a call from the person who witnessed it, before I got a visit from DHS to investigate. These are incidences that give child care centers bad names... this is something that shouldn't happen. I agree with marymom that lots of parents probably do it. That's their choice. But it shouldn't happen in child care. Best wishes...

Patty