DCF Employee Picks Up Wrong Child From West Bridgewater Daycare

WEST BRIDGEWATER, MA — The wrong child was picked up by the Department of Children and Families at a daycare Friday afternoon.

West Bridgewater daycare KinderCare described the incident to WCVB as a misunderstanding caused by two children having the same name.

“One child was supposed to go with a DCF worker and the other was to go with a family friend,” KinderCare told WCVB. “When the DCF worker arrived, there was a misunderstanding about which of the two children the worker was there for and the worker ended up taking the wrong child.”

After the DCF employee realized the wrong child had been picked up, they returned to the daycare. KinderCare told Fox 25 News the child was brought back within an hour.

Tiffany McCullough, the child's mother was in disbelief that this situation even happened and found it unacceptable.

“How does this even happen?" she told Fox 25 News. "I lost my mind. I was like, 'Where is my child?' Like, are you kidding me?"

KinderCare has since reported the incident to DCF and to licensing.

“While we’re thankful that the child was safe, and in the care of someone who is certified to care for children, we take this situation seriously,” the company said in a statement.

DCF would not talk specifics for privacy reasons, but told the Brockton Enterprise they received the report from KinderCare. DCF said an investigation is underway.

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