FOX 4 recently reported on The Button Law Firm’s lawsuit against BeYOUtiful Beginnings after the Fort Worth daycare lost a 2-year-old girl who was found alone in the middle of Parkwood Hill Boulevard.
One of the most troubling details highlighted in the coverage was how long the toddler was left without supervision. She was unsupervised for an unknown amount of time, on a near-100-degree August day.
By the time two strangers found her on the road, she was hot and sweaty, showing signs of heat exhaustion. No one at BeYOUtiful Beginnings had realized she was missing.
“She was on the verge of heat exhaustion. She was hot, sweaty, she had white stuff on her. She clearly looked like she was out lost, which is exactly what happened,” daycare injury attorney Russell Button told FOX 4.
Click here to read more about the lawsuit.
Texas Toddler Lost Outside Alone in the Heat
The 2-year-old left BeYOUtiful Beginnings unnoticed, crossed a parking lot and alleyway, went down a grassy incline, and reached Parkwood Hill Boulevard, a high-traffic road where passing drivers eventually spotted her.
For a toddler, being alone outside for an extended period of time on a near-100-degree day can be life-threatening. She had no ability to understand the danger of traffic, find her way back to the daycare, or protect herself from the heat.
The daycare caregivers were not outside searching for her. Employees did not know she was missing until after strangers had already found her and traced her back to BeYOUtiful Beginnings. Her parents later learned about the extreme danger their daughter faced from police.
How the Daycare Lost Track of Her
FOX 4 also reported on the safety procedures BeYOUtiful Beginnings was supposed to use when moving children between the daycare and outdoor playground.
Staff used a walking rope with Velcro wrist straps and were required to complete headcounts and name-to-face checks. Employees told police those safety procedures were not followed that day. They also acknowledged that children knew how to remove themselves from the Velcro straps.
The caregiver responsible for the group told police she had become overwhelmed and did not realize the toddler had gotten away.
BeYOUtiful Beginnings already knew they could not rely on the rope alone. The headcounts, name-to-face checks, and active supervision were supposed to prevent the children from being lost and seriously injured. Instead, a 2-year-old was able to leave the daycare, travel across the property, and reach a high-traffic road without anyone noticing.
Five State Citations After the Toddler Was Lost
Texas Health and Human Services issued five citations against BeYOUtiful Beginnings after investigating what happened.
The daycare was cited for failing to protect a child from neglect, failing to properly supervise children, caregivers failing to demonstrate competency, and staff failing to know which children and how many children they were responsible for.
Texas Minimum Standards require daycares to know where children are and who is responsible for them. Those basic supervision requirements are intended to prevent a young child from ever becoming separated from a group without a caregiver noticing immediately.
What Parents Can Look for at Their Child’s Daycare
Parents should not have to manage the daycare’s safety systems themselves. The daycare is responsible for knowing where every child is, who is supervising them, and what happens during transitions throughout the day.
Still, parents can ask a few questions to better understand how that responsibility is handled. Ask how caregivers count children when they leave the classroom, go outside, return from the playground, or move between activities. Look at whether gates and exits are secure, and ask what the daycare does if a child becomes separated from the group.
It can also help to pay attention to staffing. Do caregivers seem able to manage the group they are responsible for? Can staff clearly explain who is supervising the children during busy moments, such as outdoor play, bathroom breaks, or transitions?
No single gate, checklist, or headcount system is enough on its own. A well-run daycare should have several layers of protection working together so that one missed step does not put a child in danger.
The Jones Family Wants Accountability
FOX 4’s coverage highlighted that this 2-year-old was left unsupervised in the extreme August heat and that multiple safety failures were uncovered after she was found.
Felisha and Travae Jones are seeking justice and accountability from BeYOUtiful Beginnings for losing their daughter and putting her life at risk. Their 2-year-old should never have been able to leave the daycare unnoticed, and she should never have remained missing for an unknown period of time before strangers found her alone in the middle of a high-traffic road.
At The Button Law Firm, we represent kids in daycare and child injury cases to help them get life-changing results and justice against bad daycares, schools, and companies that abuse and neglect the safety of children.
If your child was lost, left unsupervised, or seriously injured at a Texas daycare, call 214-699-4409, email intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or use our contact form to share what happened.
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