Hey moms,
I had a sort of bad experience today and am wanting some feedback. I went to the gym this evening to try out a Zumba class, I have taken one before and I really liked it. I always take my kids with me when I go during the day and the child care is good. Tonight when I arrived it was a mad house. There were two ladies caring for the kids. There must have been about 40 kids or so. One lady was walking around with a baby in her arms, and the other was at the desk checking kids in, the rest was a free for all. There were crayons on the floor for small children to munch on, kids just climbing the walls, basically chaos reigned supreme. I looked around and just nicely told them I wouldn't be leaving my children tonight, I have a 1 yr old and a 3.5 yr old. Well the older lady told me that she would take the little ones in the area that was closed off so I could feel more comfortable. But not even my three year old wanted to stay. He is a very social kid and never minds going during the day at all, I think he was just totally overwhelmed. I told him he would be ok and that I would be back soon. While I was waiting for my class I just saw people pouring in and dropping off their kids. I decided to go and check on my kids, my little one was hanging in there but my older one was cowering in the baby area crying, not hysterically, he was just red eyed and wimpering. At that point I just took my kids and left. There must have been like 50 kids at that point, I asked the front desk to send someone else in but everyone there acted like I was making a big deal out of nothing. I was really concerned that my 3 year old might decide to run out to come and find me and no-one would even notice. Not because he is a bad kid, it was just so crazy in there. My kids were so relieved, the ran to me and we laughed and giggled all the way home and had a really peaceful night after that. Anyway, I am just curios, would you have left kids as young as mine in a situation like this? I found it completely unacceptable. What do you think?
I knew I wasn't crazy! So I called the manager today and just basically told her that I did not feel that I should never be able to bring my children with me in the evening. If they know they have a really busy night, they need to staff accordingly, or cut off entrance to the children's area once the ratio is met, which she told me is 10:1. But I also think that is high when babies are involved, as babies take a lot more care. She told me that there were budget issues and I told her a lawsuit was going to cost a lot more once a child was hurt, stolen or worse. I said it nicely, but firmly, she said she was going to talk to her regional director about it. I told her that I arrived early for my class so my children would have a spot and did not appreciate that I had gone to all that effort for nothing. I have a year contract and a trainer and I told her when that is up I will take my business elsewhere if this situation is not resolved. So thanks ladies, what I still cannot get over is how many people did leave their precious children in that place. I guess that is why I threw the question out, I certainly saw plenty of parents who were ok with it, so I was just wondering if I was the weird one!! Thanks for the input :D
No, you are not overly cautious! I left my daughter at a drop off day care center on campus when I was taking classes. It was a madhouse. I was a wreck about leaving her and after my class that day I made different arrangements for her and we never went back. She was 3.5 years old at the time, now she is an adult and she tells me she clearly remembers that day and how scared she was - you did the right thing! Good for you!
Whoa!!!!!!! I NEVER would have left my kids there... no way are you being overly cautious. I agree with others who said there is probably and and should be a care person to child ratio and they were way over it.
I would have done the same thing! I would find out why they don't have enough people to watch the kids safely.
Oh boy.
I feel bad for everyone involved. Those women need some more help, to be sure. Kids will often feed off of the wildness of their surroundings and things can get crazy.
I was invited to visit a church and they said they had activities for kids. The adults all met in one room with the kids in another. My son had never been there before. We didn't know anybody. We walked into the room for the kids and I could NOT believe it! There were kids climbing on the tables and jumping off, kids jabbing others with crayons, kids pulling hair, kids throwing toys and chairs and running like maniacs. My son looked at me like, "I don't think so."
First of all, I don't care if it was "kid" church, my son was taught to be respectful and I can guarantee you he'd never seen so many kids completely out of control at one time. His eyes were as big as saucers.
I didn't want to leave him in there.
I couldn't believe it when the pastor's wife came up to me and said that it really would be okay if my son put a smile on his face once in a while.
She had never met us. She acted like all that craziness was normal and there was something wrong with my son for not joining in.
That was the end of that.
Having fun and being kids is one thing, but they were acting like savages and my son was clearly not comfortable with it.
I didn't want to be rude or hurt my friends feelings, but that scene wasn't for us.
Sometimes you just have to make the decision for your own children and leave.
What other people do is up to them.
All child cares (even churches) even for short periods need to follow state and federal guidelines (1 care taker per 2 infants, 0-12 months, 1 caretaker per 6 children 12 month to 24 month and 1 caretaker per 12 children 24 months to 36 months is for most states). If this is through YMCA or Curves I would call the franchise and officially complain about the conditions.
I would talk to the director of the center and tell them your concerns and that you will have no choice but to report them if they don't get their numbers under control!
There are laws about how many kiddos to one adult! Clearly they are not following the rules.
I am sure you aren't the only mother who felt like that.... stick up for everyone and say something for sure! You never know who you might be protecting!
Uhhhh... NO. I would call the manager tomorrow am too and tell them about it. Thats horrible. I do remember hearing something about how gym drop-ins don't have to follow state regulations (i.e. ratios/ background checks/ etc.) all in all it makes me uncomfortable to EVER leave my 3 yr old at a gym daycare.
Good job mom for putting kids before your figure--don't we all :o(
No way. I wouldn't even have left my 8 year old in the mess you described. Good for you for taking your kids out of there! I would call the gym during a less busy time and ask what their policy is for childcare........they need to hire more people!
YIKES! I would not have left my kids in there either. Totally unsafe. Not even Nanny McPhee could keep track of 50 kids!!! The main thing that I would have been worried about is would these two women be wise enough to know/remember which kids belonged to which parents. I am not sure of the sign in process but it sounds like they caregivers were overwhelmed and probably more apt to not follow protocol when an adult comes to pick up a child. Ugh...that is a scary thought.
They should hire more people or ask that people sign up for childcare services in advance. I am sure everyone would understand that keeping the children safe is a top priority.
No, I would have done exactly the same as you did. You had several valid reasons for not wanting your children to stay there. Always trust your gut. If it doesn't feel good, there's usually a reason for it.
I'm glad you decided to play it safe for your kids. You're a good mama.
I am sure, by law... there has to be a certain child to adult, ratio.
That's crazy! Isn't there some kind of code as to how many people can be inside a building anyway? Even at daycare, they have to have 1 worker per x kids. I personally would report them.
I am a Health Inspector, and it is illegal to have that many children in a facility with only 2 caregivers. There is a maximum of 12 children per caregiver, and that is with NO children under 18 months old present. It is also a violation of the Building Code Occupancy Load to have too many people per square foot of the facility. This could get them in big trouble with the Building Department, Fire Marshal, and Health Inspectors.
If the owner and staff do not seem concerned, then I would notify your local heath department of the situation immediately..
I think you made the right call. It sounds chaotic, understaffed and potentially unsafe. I believe that when I worked at summer camp the staff ratios were 1:8 for teens and 1:6 for school age kids. I'm sure it must be lower for toddlers and babies. My son's preschool has 4 teachers in a classroom of about 30 kids (plus a few floating staff). But part of why that works well is that there is a lot of structure (kids are the same age and know the classroom rules).
I would definitely call the manager and tell them about the situation. I don't know why they would not tell people it is first come first serve and have a maximum number of children they accept at a time (based on the size of the area and number of staff available).
Nope, I would have done the same thing.
There is no WAY I would have left my kids in a place like that! Good for you for following your gut :)
There are DEFINITELY rules about caregiver to children ratios, they just vary by region. Where I live, it's something like 1 caregiver per 6 children - max! I would either report them, call and inquire about their policy, or both.
It is completely unacceptable. I would not have left my kids there.
But it is also not daycare. It is gym babysitting and, quite honestly, I am not sure if they even have to come close to following state childcare laws (remember, it isn't child care - it is babysitting). A good fitness center anticipates the rush of kids during prime-time workout hours and is staffed accordingly. Sounds like this club tries to get by on the cheap by not paying for enough people to appropriately staff the babysitting area.
I'd call the manager and express my concerns. A good gym will listen to its members and do what it can to accommodate their needs (which, if there were tons of kids in the room it sounds like they need more people!). If they don't, they are well aware that you will take your business elsewhere - and they really don't want that.
You should never leave your kids unless there is a enough supervision. I'd ask the gym's manager what the acceptable ratio is there. It seems like they couldn't watch more than 12 kids per worker, depends on ages of the kids. Don't be afraid to mention your concerns to the management. They may have no idea that was happening. I would not be comfortable leaving a young child in a crowd that large. I have left my 6 y.o. when there are lots of kids, but usually there are enough workers. Bad childcare is one of the reasons I haven't gone to the gym as much as I'd like to, and basically gave up until this year.
No way. Not a good situation. You are not over reacting. I would go as far as addressing this with the "big wig" at this gym. This is a serious accident waiting to happen to these people. They should have had 5 people in that place, not just 1 more.
I am with you on this. I had this happen to me too and it is particially why I quit going to the gym. I did NOT like how the childcare was run and the free for all made me AND my kids crazy. Not worth it to me!!!!
Updated
I am with you on this. I had this happen to me too and it is particially why I quit going to the gym. I did NOT like how the childcare was run and the free for all made me AND my kids crazy. Not worth it to me!!!!plus I was told the girls in there were to watch kids and that was it, but that did not always happen b/c there were too many kids!
I'm glad you went back for them right away. Older kids (8 and up, maybe) would have been fine. The manager needs to know that you will be speaking to the authorities if something isn't done. I am horrified that there were that many parents who would leave their kids in that situation. I am just sick thinking about it.
That is against the law! Report them. Just like everyone else said that is totally not acceptable. That would make me mad and I would be upset that I pay for a service and technically it is not available.
I agree with you...totally unacceptable. If you frequent this gym regularly, I'd definitely mention what you witnessed to the management. It may be that you just caught them on a bad day when alot of people called in sick, but that's way too many kids for 2 people to supervise and if the facility wants to provide child care services, they should be properly prepared for all situations.
That place was REALLY understaffed! That's ridiculous. I'd report them to the Dept. of Welfare, as they are the ones who license these places. Write it all down first, so you don't forget anything, and then send it to them in written form if they request it. But CALL immediately.
No. I wouldn't have brought them in there at all. With 2 childcare people and 40-50 kids??? My kids wouldn't get any attention. I would rather pay someone to watch them in my home for an hour then that madness!
M
Not only would I have done the same thing I would have called the authorities. Corporate, or state whomever could investigate.
Thats way to many kids for 2 people to watch. I would of never left my kids!!!
Hmm, pretty sure there are state/federal/local guidelines regarding child/adult ratio for a childcare even in that situation. Maybe you could google it?
Yeah, meanwhile, I'm with everybody else. That's a tragedy waiting to happen!
No way! I would never leave my child in a situation like that. Our gym has a limit to the number of kids they can take at a time. When they reach capacity, they turn you away. Not sure if that is an internal policy or a legal thing, but my guess is that there are some legal ramifications. I would contact the manager of the gym if I were you. Someone is going to get hurt in that kind of situation and the gym will most likely get sued.
I definitely would have not left my kids. I know there is a limit on kids per caregiver but not sure what it is. I know for a home daycare it's 6 but not sure for a short term situation. The front desk should have been more concerned. When I go to the gym and drop off the kids there are several workers. 1 or 2 for the infants, 1 for the up to 3, 1 for the back room where there is a court, 1 for the computer area and 1 or 2 checking kids in. 2 workers total is no where near enough for that many kids.
I would not have left my kids and I am sure there are limits to how many kids can be in the caregiving area at a certain time. I would have talked to the manager on duty or maybe next time you go during the day, mention something.
You need to phrase it correctly- say something like "I know I may be over reacting, but...." Do some research on the internet to see what the rules may be. I know they are not licensed facilities, but the corporation (if it is a Gold's or Lifetime, 24hr, etc) may have some guidelines the local gym is not following.
Your concerns are valid, and now you know not to go to the gym at night.
Good Luck
J.:
You are not crazy- they should still have a child to staff ratio....the room size should also determine how many kids they can have in the room for safety.
I would complain to the management....explain to them that children could get hurt with the ratio like that and no control - no adult covered activities, etc. could lead to someone getting hurt - and the gym would be held liable....how would they handle a "lost" child? would they do a lock down? and by then, would it be too late?
That really sucks that you were not able to entrust your children to them.
I wouldn't have left my kids in that situation. That is just too many children for 2 caregivers. You need to say something for sure. I know I would if I were you.
Sounds like you have no regrets. That should tell you alot.
And you gained positive moments with your kids on the way home.
And, as young as they are, they feel an underlying trust with you
as a result. What to do now? You must let your experience be
known to the owners of the gym. You can help be the change for the
other children left to defend themselves.
I definitely do not think you were being over cautious. That was an accident waiting to happen for sure. There are state regulations for daycare facilities on how many children per teacher, but gyms may not fall into that category of being regulated, although I think they should! I also wouldn't have left my children!
I would not have left them. I would actually never leave a one year old
in that type of setting no matter how many kids there. Just was never
comfortable. Got a sitter or I did not go.
I know you have had a lot of answers which I haven't had the time to read - but in the state of Texas there are required ratios for child care facilities. I quickly googled it :
Ratios for Daycare Centers in Texas State
Age Range Child: Staff Ratio Maximum Group Size
0 – 11 months 4:1 10
12 – 17 months 5:1 13
18 – 23 months 9:1 18
2 years (24 months) 11:1 22
3 years 15:1 30
4 years 18:1 35
5 years 22:1 35
6-8 years 26:1 35
9 – 12 years 26:1 35
