Child Found Wandering Away From East Norriton Daycare, Investigation Underway

EAST NORRITON TOWNSHIP, PA — State authorities are investigating a daycare in East Norriton Township after a child was found wandering outside, they said this week.

The incident occurred on Friday, July 24 at the KinderCare, located on 451 E. Germantown Pike.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services confirmed an investigation into the case on Tuesday, however they declined to provide further comment as the investigation active.

In a statement provided to Patch Tuesday, KinderCare said they are looking into exactly what happened. The child seems to have escaped from his class, but a different teacher was able to return him safely to the center, the daycare said.

KinderCare said they self-reported the incident to the state, and that in addition to reviewing this case, they are retraining all of their teachers.

Their full statement is included below:

"Keeping children safe is a responsibility we don't take lightly at East Norriton KinderCare. Late Friday afternoon, a child was able to leave the center unattended. Thankfully, another KinderCare teacher safely returned the child to the center, but this should not have happened. We immediately notified the child's family. We also self-reported the incident to the appropriate state agencies, including child care licensing. The teacher involved has been placed on administrative leave and will remain out of the center while we, along with our state agency partners, review exactly what happened. We are also using this as an opportunity to reinforce our safety procedures by retraining every teacher at the center. Families trust us with their children every day, and we are committed to learning from this incident and taking every step we can to help ensure it does not happen again."