Starmaker Learning Center

[roscoe69@verizo]

Our buildings are adjacent to Starmaker Learning Center in Wildewood and while walking over to one of the buildings I heard a small child screaming and crying very loudly, I looked over towards the school and seen a small toddler on the rear deck in the playground all alone and screaming and pounding on the door " let me in I don't want to be locked out "!! I watched for several minutes and no one let the child in! I mean this little kid was scared and you could tell he was out there for a while. I continued walking and seen two women on the other end of the building and yelled to them that the child was locked out and they needed to do something, they just laughed and kept talking. When I came back through the child was gone, I guess they finally let him in, I don't know if any of you folks have any children there but I would have to ask if this was just neglect or some sort of wierd disciplinary action. I would have done more short of calling the police but nowadays you just can't walk up to a situation like that without getting your ownself in trouble!

 

[RoseRed]

Skeery. Never heard a bad thing about that place before.

 

[kwillia]

Skeery. Never heard a bad thing about that place before.

Ummm... I'm thinking we need to remember there are always three sides to every story. It's quite likely the kid just got verbally corrected for something and was in the middle of a typical and normal temper tantrum that the staff was used to dealing with and were rightfully ignoring...:shrug:

 

[TexasSunflower]

Our buildings are adjacent to Starmaker Learning Center in Wildewood and while walking over to one of the buildings I heard a small child screaming and crying very loudly, I looked over towards the school and seen a small toddler on the rear deck in the playground all alone and screaming and pounding on the door " let me in I don't want to be locked out "!! I watched for several minutes and no one let the child in! I mean this little kid was scared and you could tell he was out there for a while. I continued walking and seen two women on the other end of the building and yelled to them that the child was locked out and they needed to do something, they just laughed and kept talking. When I came back through the child was gone, I guess they finally let him in, I don't know if any of you folks have any children there but I would have to ask if this was just neglect or some sort of wierd disciplinary action. I would have done more short of calling the police but nowadays you just can't walk up to a situation like that without getting your ownself in trouble!

WOW! Now that sounds like neglect! If I found out they did that to my child I would be fuming! And would have to give them a good

 

[RoseRed]

Ummm... I'm thinking we need to remember there are always three sides to every story. It's quite likely the kid just got verbally corrected for something and was in the middle of a typical and normal temper tantrum that the staff was used to dealing with and were rightfully ignoring...:shrug:

I agree to a certain extent.

All I was saying is that I have never heard anything bad about the place.

 

[kwillia]

I agree to a certain extent.

All I was saying is that I have never heard anything bad about the place.

I mainly quoted you because you were the last person to post at that time... I'm just saying that the thread starter is obviously distressed by what he/she saw and I understand his/her concern, however, I also find it hard to believe that it was a case of neglect... especially since the TWO adult supervisors were not disturbed in the slightest by having a stranger point out the kid. IMO, if he had been an oversight and they were not aware of him and what he was doing, at least one if no both would have reacted with a startle upon having a stranger intervene. :shrug:

 

[Christy]

Could also be that some of the other kids locked him/her out and it took the teacher's a few minutes to notice. :shrug:

 

[Hawkeyewife]

I know the school well (my children attend the Montessori school day only). I do not know any specific details on the situation that you witnessed, but the school is run by responsible, well-trained staff and would not put any children in harm.

I agree to an outsider that may not look good to see a child screaming on the back porch of a classroom but when a 5-year old is doing that within a classroom during lesson time, it is better to have the child calm himself/herself on the porch (with the door ajar) than have the child disrupt the other working children within the classroom.

I am sure if you had stuck around a few more minutes you would have seen the child calm down, the teacher give him/her a hug and discuss proper indoor/classroom behavior before reentering the classroom.

 

[DawnK]

My nephews have gone there for 3 years. They absolutely love it. Sometimes you can't get the whole story from just a few minutes of an action. I'm sure there was more to it. But I'm glad that you didn't ignore it and walk away, like alot of people do today. No one wants to be involved anymore.

 

[vbailey]

I would not just blow off anything that looked wierd at a day care center, it is good to question it. My daughter worked for a day care center, local ( will not say which one ) for a couple of years and quit because of some things that did not seem right to her.

 

[karmama]

Probably the Child Care Office would like to know of any neglect issues. I am surprised that the adults did not comment about the child - whether the child was being punished or 'missing' from the group. Even with an outside door open to the room where the child can be seen is unacceptable! I just wonder how old this child was - evidently not old enough to be in school.

 

[Dymphna]

The Southern Maryland Office of Child Care can be reached at 301-475-3770.

If you call them and tell them what you saw, they will go out and investigate. Mainly they get the other side of the story. Since the child isn't still standing out there, they will just ask what happened and see if there is a reasonable explaination of what you saw, or thought you saw.

Chances are nothing will happen to the center, unless someone says something stupid like, "yeah, I put him outside, while I stayed inside." But the center will be more careful because they know someone is watching them.

 

[ANG]

I agree to an outsider that may not look good to see a child screaming on the back porch of a classroom but when a 5-year old is doing that within a classroom during lesson time, it is better to have the child calm himself/herself on the porch (with the door ajar) than have the child disrupt the other working children within the classroom.

According to Child Administration, it is NEVER acceptable to place a child outside without proper supervision. Furthermore, a child should never be left in a room by themselves (at daycare.) Leaving the door ajar does not stop the child from running away (even in a fenced in area). When a child has a tantrum, they should be accompanied by the staff member to a calmer place.

 

[meme]

I know the school well (my children attend the Montessori school day only). I do not know any specific details on the situation that you witnessed, but the school is run by responsible, well-trained staff and would not put any children in harm.

I agree to an outsider that may not look good to see a child screaming on the back porch of a classroom but when a 5-year old is doing that within a classroom during lesson time, it is better to have the child calm himself/herself on the porch (with the door ajar) than have the child disrupt the other working children within the classroom.

I am sure if you had stuck around a few more minutes you would have seen the child calm down, the teacher give him/her a hug and discuss proper indoor/classroom behavior before reentering the classroom.

I'm sorry but I don't see where locking a kid out is teaching him everything. When your kids misbehave, do you lock them out and then love on them afterwards? It's not appropriate to lock a kid out period. To the original poster, I would have called over to the school and then I would have contacted authorities. If locking a kid outside is the only way to get him or her to calm down, then perhaps the teacher is is the WRONG field of work.

 

[madMAX]

WOW! Now that sounds like neglect! If I found out they did that to my child I would be fuming! And would have to give them a good

This is totally irresponsible on behalf of the center. There is no side to any story that would be acceptable for any child to be on the either locked/put or left outside of any daycare center by him or herself for any (and I don’t care if a teacher was standing on the other side of the door), and I mean ANY reason. There are ways to deal with each type of situation and this is not an appropriate way under any circumstance. I agree that if this is the way that a teacher feels is appropriate to deal with a “tantrum” or any other way that someone would try to rationalize that this is “ok”, is 100 percent in the wrong line of work. If the child is a “problem” child tell the parents and tell them that this child is no longer allowed at the center.

Had this been my child, I promise you that somebody, or somebody’s would no longer be working at that center and probably would be in jail. This incident needs to be reported.

 

[Dymphna]

I'll say it again... call the Office of Child Care. They are overworked and underpaid as are all State employees, but they can't do their job if they don't know what is going on. They HAVE to respond if you report that you saw something fishy.

Otherwise, they will wander in eventually, when they feel like it, when several people in the center see them coming across the parking lot and alert everyone else to be on their best behavior.

The inspectors will assume all is right in the world unless they see something first hand. If you tell them you saw something, they will be on the lookout for something they wouldn't have otherwise noticed and will have to ask them why someone reported a child outside unattended.

You can remain anonymous is you wish.

 

[sockgirl77]

My son went to Starmaker. I personally know a few of the employees. I find this VERY hard to believe. VERY!!!!

 

[queencity28]

My son went to Starmaker. I personally know a few of the employees. I find this VERY hard to believe. VERY!!!!

And I find it hard to believe that someone would feel the need to make this story up and post it on a public forum. Report it. If you don't, then you are just as much to blame if neglect is actually taking place at the center.

My son was attending a home daycare center for a few months. I absolutely loved the lady, but couldn't understand why my son would cry every morning when I dropped him off. Every morning for many many months. It all made sense when I started bringing my older girls over as well in the mornings to catch the bus due to a change in my work schedule. My girls informed me that she would spank him for crying when I left. Yes, spank him. No wonder why he was terrified to go over there.

Go with your gut. If you feel that neglect was occurring when you were walking by, that is probably the case.

 

[Dymphna]

My son went to Starmaker. I personally know a few of the employees. I find this VERY hard to believe. VERY!!!!

I have no personal knowledge of that center, BUT centers in general have a VERY high turnover. The owners/managers may or may not have any knowledge of what happened. But it would not surprise me that some newbie or some burnt-out veteran might snap and put some child out of the building because they were freaked out by some out of control, disruptive, little kid.

 

[sockgirl77]

I have no personal knowledge of that center, BUT centers in general have a VERY high turnover. The owners/managers may or may not have any knowledge of what happened. But it would not surprise me that some newbie or some burnt-out veteran might snap and put some child out of the building because they were freaked out by some out of control, disruptive, little kid.

I know 3 ladies that work there. They've been there for a few years and are wonderful. If this is all true then it is disturbing. But, there has to be more to the story. I know a few people that have their kids there now and they love it.
BTW, is BAE close enough that they could hear a small child scream and hear exactly what they are saying? No.

Oh and the deck there is for the 1 year old and they cannot scream "let me in I don't want to be locked out."