A Gold Coast mother has been left searching for answers after her daughter was left alone in a childcare pick-up bus, on a day when temperatures hit highs of 30 degrees.
Speaking with 9NEWS, Lisa Easton said her daughter Violet was locked in the vehicle used by Goodstart Early Learning in Parkwood for over an hour.
She was the only child on the bus when the staffer became distracted by a maintenance worker and then attended a meeting — neglecting to retrieve the toddler.
“I could not fathom what my daughter went through for an hour and five minutes, it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Ms Easton told the publication.
“I’m really upset about the fact that there wasn’t a strong enough procedure to prevent this incident from occurring. I am upset that the ambulance weren’t called.”
The mother-of-three was notified of the incident nearly an hour after the fact. She rushed her child to the Gold Coast University Hospital where she was diagnosed with dehydration.
Ms Easton has since pulled her youngest child out of daycare and will give up her job to allow for full-time care.
“I can never trust my daughter in another childcare,” she said.
“I do want to see her charged, my daughter could have been deceased…even if it is a mistake and a human error she needs to realise there is consequences for that.”
Violet was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital after the incident, where she was diagnosed with dehydration.
The incident is now being investigated by police.
In a statement to 9NEWS, Goodstart Early Learning said what had occurred was “totally unacceptable” and that the staff member involved has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
“We are deeply concerned that this has occurred. This is totally unacceptable – the safety and wellbeing of children is always our priority. We are co-operating with the relevant authorities, providing support to the family, and undertaking a comprehensive internal investigation to determine what happened and ensure this doesn’t happen again. The staff member involved has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.”
