Cromwell Mother Angry Daughter Got Lost At Day Camp

Zoey and Daphne were attending a day camp run by the town's recreation department during April vacation, said Coleen Nims, the girls' mother.

[Think about it]

I wouldn't trust my 5 year old being watched by a few high school and 8th graders.. blame the parents

[DgD]

Well there you go.... FIRE Schein, what the hell are they waiting for,,, a body has to be found?????

[Scaramouche]

Cromwell's Rec program and Ms. Schein has done (and continues to do) a fantastic job with thousands of kids over many years on a shoestring budget. Ask any of the dozens of (now)-parents who grew up playing in one of her Rec programs.

Think @ it ..........80 little kids at a park playground supervised by two high school students.......... and we should be shocked and outraged?
Unfortunate thing happened but no harm done . Get over it Mom and stop running to the newspapers.

[Joe]

Sue? SUE??! What for? What damage was done? The daughter came back safely, unharmed. She was only gone for about an hour. These people need to calm down and stop being helicopter parents. The child is ok. This is another reason why our taxes are so high. We have people suing towns every which way which mounts legal fees as well as settlements.

[Salary]

Scaramouche wrote:

Cromwell's Rec program and Ms. Schein has done (and continues to do) a fantastic job with thousands of kids over many years on a shoestring budget. Ask any of the dozens of (now)-parents who grew up playing in one of her Rec programs.
Think @ it ..........80 little kids at a park playground supervised by two high school students.......... and we should be shocked and outraged?
Unfortunate thing happened but no harm done . Get over it Mom and stop running to the newspapers.

Shoestring budget? Sue Schein makes 74K a year in salary. Plus 13 paid holidays and nice benefits. Maybe she should work on a showstring salary and their would be more money for the rec department?
2 incidents in 2-3 years is not a good sign. Many parents will read this story and not trust their kids to the Cromwell rec department.
I agree about the "sue" happy society. Everything turned out well and mistakes do happen. No need to get "sue" happy.

[duhhh]

how about just watching your own kidsbetter yet sit down and teach your kids child safty. we should sue them for shunning thier parental duties.they are your kids not cromwell's. The park and rec staff is a very well organized and extremely responsable. the parents should be the judge if their children can handle the being there . don't just send them cause you need a baby sitter that they are not. The purpose is to give the kids something to do. NOT BABY SIT...IF YOU CANNOT TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS DON'T HAVE EM

[duhhh]

Salary wrote:

<quoted text>
Shoestring budget? Sue Schein makes 74K a year in salary. Plus 13 paid holidays and nice benefits. Maybe she should work on a showstring salary and their would be more money for the rec department?
2 incidents in 2-3 years is not a good sign. Many parents will read this story and not trust their kids to the Cromwell rec department.
I agree about the "sue" happy society. Everything turned out well and mistakes do happen. No need to get "sue" happy.

THIS WOMAN HAS GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND HER SALARY ANY WHERE ANY TIME THE PARK AND REC IS DOING SOMETHING DAY OR NIGHT THIS WOMAN IS THERE.WE SHOULD GIVE HER A RAISE!!!

[POOR]

tell the lady to let richie watch em he work's for the town

[Ct Luver]

I got lost on my way home from kindergarten and nobody interviewed me. People make mistakes. If the world were perfect, we'd all be state employees.

[LaLa]

Salary, I must respectfully disagree. Duhhh has it right - what that woman does week in and out for 74k a year is amazing. She should be making about double that. If you lived in Cromwell and watched her in action (as well as the other rec dept employees and volunteer helpers) you'd be impressed.
...
Clearly there was improper supervision, and a checklist approach to identifying all the kids at once might help - it probably should have been in place to begin with.
...
If you have ever been involved in childrens activities you know how hard it is to keep an eye on a herd of constantly moving kids. I've done it, and it's highly stressful.
...
This is harsh, but duhhh got another component right - the rec dept program is meant to give the kids some fun playtime, NOT provide babysitting time. If your 5 yo can't speak up for themselves then they are too young to attend a rec prgram.
Professional daycare is what a child that young needs.

[13yearcit]

LaLa wrote:

Salary, I must respectfully disagree. Duhhh has it right - what that woman does week in and out for 74k a year is amazing. She should be making about double that. If you lived in Cromwell and watched her in action (as well as the other rec dept employees and volunteer helpers) you'd be impressed.
...
Clearly there was improper supervision, and a checklist approach to identifying all the kids at once might help - it probably should have been in place to begin with.
...
If you have ever been involved in childrens activities you know how hard it is to keep an eye on a herd of constantly moving kids. I've done it, and it's highly stressful.
...
This is harsh, but duhhh got another component right - the rec dept program is meant to give the kids some fun playtime, NOT provide babysitting time. If your 5 yo can't speak up for themselves then they are too young to attend a rec prgram.
Professional daycare is what a child that young needs.

Sue Shein works hard and all kinds of crazy hours trying to keep programs going and or making them better for our kids.

I personally would never send my 5 year old to any day camp, they belong in a higher supervision daycare center not a day camp. Obviously the parents were going the cheap route for childcare here.

I say the town close the day camp programs to kids under 7 who can't follow directions yet or the rec department comes up with a separate program for younger kids at a higher cost to the parents.

[the mother]

Think about it wrote:

I wouldn't trust my 5 year old being watched by a few high school and 8th graders.. blame the parents

I am the mother of the lost child. I had no idea that the camp was being run so inadequately, or that the supervision was being done in that fashion. I trusted Sue to run the program in a fashion that was safe. She did not.
I have also been a licensed daycare provider, and I understand that programs such as this have rules and guidelines for a reason. I would expect them to be followed.

[the mother]

Joe wrote:

Sue? SUE??! What for? What damage was done? The daughter came back safely, unharmed. She was only gone for about an hour. These people need to calm down and stop being helicopter parents. The child is ok. This is another reason why our taxes are so high. We have people suing towns every which way which mounts legal fees as well as settlements.

I am the mother. I am not suing the town, and if I were it would not be for monetary damages. I am trying to prevent further children from being lost! TWO children, in 3 years have been lOST in this program! The second child was only gone for about an hour, BECAUSE HER SISTER WENT LOOKING! What if she had no sister, no one would have looked! They did not know she was missing!

[the mother elaborates]

I am the mom, of the lost 5 year old. No, I was not looking for cheap daycare. I don't need daycare, I am an at home mom. I have also been licensed by the state as a daycare provider. I am very familiar with the strict rules daycares operate under, as I had to follow them. I assumed that similar rules would be in place in this type of environment.
I let my 5 year old and 7 year old go to the park, TOGETHER, and attend this program, because it was supposed to be FUN for them. I did not even leave them the whole day, I stopped by after lunch.
Please don't be so quick to judge me. I am a responsible parent, and more hands on than many. I liked Sue and trusted her program, that was why I left my kids there.
As for suing, I have no intention of suing, nor have I tried. No money could ever ease the knot in my stomach after finding out my daughter had been left alone, and vulnerable to any number of disasters. That would NEVER have happened under my watch. Not to my child, or any of the numerous children I've provided daycare for.
My daughter is 5, and she is very mature for her age. It is in no way her fault, that she was inadequately supervised, and the suggestion of that is shameful.

[the mother elaborates]

Ct Luver wrote:

I got lost on my way home from kindergarten and nobody interviewed me. People make mistakes. If the world were perfect, we'd all be state employees.

Yes, people do make mistakes.
You are supposed to learn from them,and not make the same one 3 years later. There are also degrees of mistakes.

[Trenchcoat]

anonymous wrote:

Thank you so much for exposing this! This story should be passed along to every parent out there.

Let's just hope the kiddie-pervs aren't reading this, too.

[From 1 mother 2 another]

the mother elaborates wrote:

I am the mom, of the lost 5 year old. No, I was not looking for cheap daycare. I don't need daycare, I am an at home mom. I have also been licensed by the state as a daycare provider. I am very familiar with the strict rules daycares operate under, as I had to follow them. I assumed that similar rules would be in place in this type of environment.
I let my 5 year old and 7 year old go to the park, TOGETHER, and attend this program, because it was supposed to be FUN for them. I did not even leave them the whole day, I stopped by after lunch.
Please don't be so quick to judge me. I am a responsible parent, and more hands on than many. I liked Sue and trusted her program, that was why I left my kids there.
As for suing, I have no intention of suing, nor have I tried. No money could ever ease the knot in my stomach after finding out my daughter had been left alone, and vulnerable to any number of disasters. That would NEVER have happened under my watch. Not to my child, or any of the numerous children I've provided daycare for.
My daughter is 5, and she is very mature for her age. It is in no way her fault, that she was inadequately supervised, and the suggestion of that is shameful.

It appears that there are quite a few Sue S. fans here all replying with their comments & defenses so I'll just bring it back to defending the true victim(s) here ... the parents & their child! This is utterly ridiculous how people can attack the mother and finger point the blame when she trusted a program with "qualified directors" to ensure her childs' safety! Enough is enough here I mean come on. When do the excuses STOP and the main objective begin? With the amount of Amber alerts, child molesters, kidnappings and etc., exposing just ONE child to this type of possible exposure as a result of non-care or organization of a program is ONE TOO MANY.

It's time to start putting some heat on those who are designated as the "leaders" of these programs to ensure that safety precautions are taken (not just written) and followed 100%!

I agree with the Mom and it puts a beyond ill feeling in my stomach to even imagine my 3 yr old (whom is in daycare now at $250 a week for 5 days of "coverage") EVER having to endure this in the future at ANY summer camp let alone Cromwells'! We lose sight that this is ultimately supposed to be a FUN activity for them and not a hellish experience! Hang in there to the Mom & stand by what YOU believe in!

[anonymous]

I realize Sue does work hard, and Cromwell does offer alot of great recreational opportunities. I don't see that as having any bearing on also having sloppy procedures in place when it comes to childrens supervision.
Sue's position as director, her tenior in the town, and the type of town Cromwell is, seem to have led parents into a false sense of security, in leaving their children to play in her care.

[Camper-Counselor]

Having grown up in Cromwell, I both attended the day camps Sue set up and later while in high school, I worked as a counselor, as did several of my friends. I know for a fact that Sue makes sure to find the most responsible people she can to fill the positions as counselors, and none of them would knowingly abandon a child.
That being said, yes, policy needs to be changed. More counselors, a better system, something. I know during the summer programs, there are four different camp sites being run, and Sue is busy every day moving between them to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. The programs held during school breaks (winter, February, April) are less strained, but it's difficult to find people willing to work at them, especially since most of the time, it's high school students during their own school vacations. But no one is perfect; they try their best, and Sue does her best to ensure that everyone is properly trained in how to deal with children, what to do in emergency situations, and even basic first aid.
A terrible mistake was made; luckily, it didn't end in tragedy. Now it's time to learn from the mistake, and move forward. Squabbling and pointing fingers won't do anything to stop it from happening again.

[the mother]

I do not in any way suggest that any of the 8th graders, or high school students who were left in charge bear any blame in either of these situations. They do not. The problem is the structure of the program, a lack of adequate policies, and a lack of enforcement of any of the policies that do exist, by Sue. I've read Sue's policies as she states them. Myself and others, also witnessed how little any of them are being followed, and that includes by HER. Policies are useless if the person responsible for enforcing them, does not do so, nor does she lead by example and do it herself.
Bear in mind,that in 2005 when a child was lost, procedures were re-evaluated, yet it happened again. This should sound alarms. However, alarms don't matter. She is protected by her union contract. The most severe discipline that could be legally upheld, I am told was the written warning in her file.
Sue herself stated to me that they were short staffed. A counselor has also stated to me that they were making desperate phone calls, trying to get more coverage on the day this happened, as well as others. Did it not occur to the adult responsible, that she should not keep letting children in, if she didn't have the staff to cover them?
If coverage is a chronic problem, as one of the posts here indicates, why has the program not been re-designed to resolve that issue, instead of going on regardless?
Doing lots of good overall, is not an excuse for negligence. And a lucky outcome, does not excuse the risk these two children were exposed to.
Lastly, it is an outrage, that a professional, entrusted with the care of children, can lose two of them on separate occasions, and continue to be in a position where she has the power to do it again.
The town can instill new procedures, but who will ensure Sue is following them?(By the way, isn't that salary she is being paid, in part handling all aspects of this program? Now someone else has to do that part of her job for her, and monitor her, in most other lines of work,don't people get replaced when they aren't capable of performing their job duties?)
The whole point of this article, is to expose the situation to trusting parents, and let them make an informed decision, as to the realities of the supervision, and the impact it may or may not have on their child.