Daycare inspection reports don't mention losing kids

A Vancouver woman says she was shocked beyond belief to learn thatdaycare staff failed to notice whenher two-year-old daughter wandered offand ended up alone outside in aparking lot and that a similar incident happened threemonths before.

RachelGarrick says youngHenrietta had not been gone long when she wandered awayfrom the Hastings Park Childcare Centre lastNovember, but that fact ishardly comforting.

"The only reason they did notice she was missing is because someone happened to be driving by at that time and that person stopped their vehicle and got out and informed the staff that one of their children was out in the parking lot," Garrick said. "So if we hadn't been lucky that way, who knows how long she would have been out there."

Daycare lost another child

The daycare, which is run by Kiwassa Neighbourhood House, apologized saying it deeply regretted the incident and would be taking steps to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

But Garrick, wonderingif it had happened before,decided to investigate.

When she could only find glowing licence reports and no mention of similar incidents, she sent Vancouver Coastal Health, the licensing agency,an information request under the B.C.Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

"I received that [response] last week and it was very upsetting to see in August, just a few months before Henrietta went missing, they lost track of another child."

National daycare standards proposed

Emily Mlieczko, the executive director of Early Childhood Educators of B.C., saidthese types of issues are the result of a patchwork series of regulations across the country.

"It really is a crisis for families, so families are put ina position of not being able to find daycare when they need it, looking for daycare in a variety of locations because there isn't enough spaces, and no government is really responsible for that," she said.

Mieczko says a national system would help standardize policies, procedures and regulations governing daycare.Meanwhile, Garrick has advice for parents with young children.

"There's really no way of knowing what's going on in a daycare unless you file a freedom of information request," Garrick said.

Garrick says the inspection reports for Hastings Park Childcare Centre still make no mention of the daycare losing track of two children.

Vancouver Coastal Health told CBC News there is a requirement to note such incidents that happenin residential care homes, but not in daycares.

VCH also said it is satisfied with Hastings Park Childcare Centre's response to both incidents.