Girl, 4, allegedly forgotten in hot child care bus for two hours

UPDATED: Dripstone Children’s Centre said it is ‘alarmed’ at an incident which saw the life of a four-year-old girl ‘put at risk’ after she was allegedly left strapped in her seat in a child care centre’s bus in the Darwin heat for two hours

The bus believed to be the one in which a little girl, 4, was allegedly left alone for up to two hours . Picture: Keri Megelus

UPDATED: The life of a four-year-old girl was “put at risk” after she was allegedly left in a child care centre’s bus in the Darwin heat for two hours.

The girl, allegedly forgotten by staff at the Dripstone Children’s Centre, was discovered by her parents, hot, tired, stressed and on the verge of passing out.

A member of the Dripstone Children’s Centre community, who wished to remain anonymous, said an ambulance was called but the child didn’t go to hospital.

A child was allegedly left strapped in a seat in a child care centre’s bus in the Darwin heat for up to two hours

“The child was picked up from Nakara at 3pm, and was found between the time of 4.30 and 5pm, so it would have been two hours max she was in the bus … a child’s life was being put at risk yesterday (Tuesday),” the person said.

“Her little sister came today (Wednesday) and a staff member spoke with her mother … as far as I know she is perfectly fine.”

A media statement from the Dripstone Children’s Centre Parent Management Committee said they were ‘alarmed’ at the incident but thankful the child is unharmed.

“(We) were all alarmed and extremely concerned about the incident on Tuesday afternoon when one of our centre’s children was left on a bus,” it said.

“The safety of children is of utmost importance and we are reviewing our policies and procedures and working to support staff to ensure that an incident like this cannot happen again.”

The Dripstone Children’s Centre marked bus, which operates daily in mornings and afternoons taking preschool students to the nearby Nakara Preschool, did not park at the marked bus zone on Wednesday afternoon but instead parked in a carpark behind locked gates.

Parents said it was believed the four-year-old was left strapped into her bus seat and was unable to undo the seatbelt unassisted.

The NT News understands the centre will open its doors to parents and the community on Thursday evening to address any concerns over the alleged incident.

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It is understood the recent removal of a “ratio checks” system, which sees staff count students at various points in the day, could be behind the child being left on the bus alone.

The community member also confirmed an emergency committee meeting took place after the incident.

One parent pleaded to “please act on this story to prevent a disaster” while others said it was not the first time there had been issues of this nature at the centre.

The outside temperature remained above 32C when the child was stuck on the bus. The temperature inside the bus may well have reached much higher.

The incident was reported to NT Police, who passed the concern on to the Department of Quality Education and Care NT.

A spokeswoman from QECNT said the department was looking into the matter.

“QECNT, the regulators of childcare centres in the Northern Territory, is aware of the incident and is currently investigating,” she said.

The bus believed to be the one in which a little girl, 4, was allegedly left alone and strapped in her seat for up to two hours . Picture: Keri Megelus

“QECNT is working closely with Dripstone Childcare Centre to ensure the safety of all children at the service.”

A number of parents at the education centre were unaware of the incident on Wednesday afternoon, while others remained tight-lipped.

EARLIER: A FOUR-year-old child has allegedly been left in a bus for two hours, forgotten by her child care staff, only to finally be discovered by her parents, hot, tired, stressed and on the verge of passing out.

A number of concerned parents of the centre have reached out to the NT News over the alleged incident at Dripstone Children's Centre on Tuesday afternoon, when the little girl was reportedly left in a bus after being transported to the centre from Nakara Primary School.

The four-year-old was allegedly left strapped into her bus seat and was unable to undo the seatbelt unassisted.

The little girl almost passed out before she was found.

One parent pleaded to “please act on this story to prevent a disaster” while others said it wasn’t the first time there had been issues of this nature at the centre.

The temperature remained above 32C between 3pm and 5pm on Tuesday when the incident is said to have taken place. The temperature inside the bus may well have reached much higher.

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It is understood the centre’s director and centre committee called a meeting immediately after the incident and following complaints from the parents.

The incident was reported to NT Police and the Department of Quality Education and Care NT are investigating.