NYC Daycare Employee Accidentally Serves Cleaning Solution to Children

Incidents at Bright Horizons

• ⚠️ Parents are seeking new childcare after multiple troubling incidents at the Bright Horizons at Columbus Circle daycare center in Manhattan.
• 💡 The center's preschool program was indefinitely shut down by the health department following an October 27th incident.

Cleaning Solution in Water Pitcher

• 💧 An employee mistakenly filled a water pitcher with a diluted cleaning solution containing bleach, which was then served to children during snack time.
• 🧪 The cleaning solution was prepared daily for sanitizing toys and consisted of water mixed with a small amount of bleach.
• 🗣️ Bright Horizons stated the staff member made a mistake and that a teacher who drank the water noticed something was off, leading to contact with poison control.

Previous Child Abuse Allegations

• 🚨 Prior to the water incident, three former employees were arrested over the summer on child abuse charges, including allegations of taping a child's mouth, dragging a girl by her hair, and spraying a child with a mixture of soap, water, and bleach.
• ⚖️ These former employees have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Company Response and Parent Concerns

• 🔒 Bright Horizons has gone dark, with many lights off and no one answering the door, and some parents were notified they needed to switch daycare centers.
• 🗣️ Parents express anger and concern, feeling the company did not communicate incidents effectively and may prioritize appearance over child safety.
• 🏢 Bright Horizons claims to have been honest, notified impacted families, and is committed to supporting them, though they stated no medical attention was necessary for the water incident.

Expert and Regulatory Scrutiny

• 🎓 An NYU child care expert expressed concern about the safety setup and the response to the first incident.
• 📝 The city states the center must update safety protocols and attend an administrative hearing regarding the preschool's permanent closure.
• 📈 The center was already under a corrective action plan due to earlier allegations.