A series of safety incidents at a childcare center in Bangor, Sydney, has raised concerns among parents. The issues culminated in a recent incident where a toddler was mistakenly taken home by a grandfather. A mother, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect her child's privacy, described First Steps Learning Academy as "incompetent" after her 1-year-old son went missing for two hours. She reported receiving 18 incident alerts from the center in the past five months, indicating various safety issues involving her child.

"The latest one, he climbed up on a table and fell headfirst onto a wooden floor," she said. The mother expressed frustration over the lack of an apology from the center's owner after an educator mistakenly handed her child to the wrong person. "The grandfather shouldn't be the story; the story is how a daycare center can't follow basic simple policies and procedures," she added.

Initially, a spokesperson for First Steps Learning Academy denied the existence of the 18 incident reports but later acknowledged that all incidents are documented in accordance with regulatory requirements.

In addition to the recent incident, there have been three investigations by the regulatory authority into the daycare centers in Bangor and nearby Kirrawee over the past year. One notable case occurred on July 8, when a child at the Kirrawee center did not receive an EpiPen after experiencing anaphylaxis during breakfast. A parent noticed the 18-month-old in distress and called the child's mother. The father returned to the center, administered the EpiPen, and called for an ambulance. The child was transported as a category 1 patient, indicating a life-threatening condition.

The spokesperson for First Steps Learning Academy denied that the center was investigated for failing to use the EpiPen. However, documents obtained indicate that the NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority did investigate a complaint from the child's parents. A staff member from the authority confirmed that the case is now closed after the center was given time to address areas of non-compliance.

In a separate incident, the same child was reportedly left alone for over 20 minutes after wandering away from educators. The mother was alerted by another parent who found her son coloring in a dark room. The center stated that the investigating authority found the matter resolved satisfactorily.

Another investigation involved a 3-year-old boy who was allegedly injured when a staff member pulled him by the hand. The child's mother claimed she was not informed of the incident for seven weeks. The center stated that parents were notified as soon as the incident was reported.

Concerns about staffing have also been raised. Former educators and parents claim that the Bangor center has struggled to meet minimum staffing requirements and has a high turnover rate. A spokesperson for the center denied these claims, stating that they are not struggling to recruit staff.

One former educator recalled instances where the toddler room had nearly 20 infants with only two or three staff members present. Another former staff member mentioned losing lunch breaks due to insufficient staffing.

Earlier this year, another parent withdrew her child from the center after repeated issues with wet pants and nappy rash. She reported receiving false alerts about diaper changes and observed that children were often left watching screens instead of engaging in activities.

In response, First Steps Learning Academy stated that all centers adhere to strict guidelines regarding screen time and will investigate any technical errors causing inaccurate notifications. Despite these concerns, both the Bangor and Kirrawee centers are rated as "meeting" national childcare standards by the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority.