@ Would you say something?

[OscarQ]

The babysitter for the family next door just knocked on my door.  She was at the park with the neighbor kid and DS2 was there with his daycare.  She wanted to tell me that the kids were largely unsupervised. There were adults there with them but they were sitting on the bench and playing on their phones.  

Babysitter said there were little ones falling down and the adults were just calling "You're fine, get up" (Note:  I totally do this with my kids.  When they're really hurt, they'll let you know it.)  She also said kids were climbing up the jungle gym.  What has me concerned is that she said kids were sitting in her lap and all around her on the bench looking for attention.

Do I say something to the daycare owner?

I'm not worried about DS2 getting hurt.  He's one of the older, bigger kids.  I am worried about him hurting someone else or wandering off.  This park is three blocks from our house and it's not 100% fenced it.

[orangeblossom]

Not a parent, but yes, I would say something..

[nursecramer]

Yes. The fact that it was egregious enough for her to come up to your door and address it, even though she has no skin in the game, it seems worth bringing up to them.

[hopecounts]

I would definitely bring it up.

[2doxies]

So, there were kids sitting on the lap of a stranger at the park? That would probably bother me the most. I would say something.

[OscarQ]

Jul 19, 2016 11:25:57 GMT -5 2doxies said:

So, there were kids sitting on the lap of a stranger at the park? That would probably bother me the most. I would say something.

That was the part where I finally flipped to "Yeah, I need to call" territory.  H says I need to call too.  Okay, thanks all.

[kershnic]

Yeah, I'd probably say something, but in a "hey, what's up with this not so good thing?" way not a "burn it down" way. I totally do that with my kids at the park sometimes, but I'm also not at work, I'm only watching 2 kids, and I know my kids' abilities. But mainly, I'm not at work. The fact that it's not fenced in and that the teachers didn't notice that the kids were climbing on a stranger make it extra eyebrow raising. And that the babysitter found it odd enough to comment on it.

[ijack]

Jul 19, 2016 11:25:57 GMT -5 2doxies said:

So, there were kids sitting on the lap of a stranger at the park? That would probably bother me the most. I would say something.

This is what would bother me too.

[ECB]

Yeah, when you got to the part where they kids were on HER lap - that tells me that the kids are used to being ignored by the daycare workers.  That's not ok.

Most of what you wrote - eh, whatever.  Sitting on the bench, not running to a kid every time they stumble, and playing on the jungle gym - within reason - are all fine.

But if their so into their phones that the kids go and find a stranger to hang out with - that tells me that these people aren't really paying much attention.  Even if a child is on a part of the gym that isn't safe forthem - are these workers noticing? 

That would concern me.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Yes.

[marriedfilingjoint]

Yeah. I wouldn't be looking for a new daycare or trying to make heads roll, I would just call in a "thought you might want to address this" kind of way.

[OscarQ]

Thanks all.

I called. Actually I texted and told her to call me, that it was nothing urgent though.

I framed it pretty much the way I wrote it above. She got a bit defensive about how they maintain proper ratios and I assured her that wasn't my concern. When I mentioned that I didn't even care about them sitting on the bench and being on their phones, she changed her tone and was very clear that that is against her rules. Only one woman is allowed to sit due to a disability, the rest are to be up with the kids.  Whatever.

When I got to my real concern - about the kids sitting on the sitters lap, someone they don't know - she said "Oh no!  I'll call them.  No."  So yeah, glad I called and I wasn't being that parent.  I forgot she was traveling this week and not onsite.  Oops, guess I should have gone to her deputy.