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I would pull my child and report them - there is no excuse that can be made for that situation!

So glad your LO is ok!!!

Wow, and your dad never saw a teacher in that 10 minutes??? I would be PISSED! I would for sure be stomping into the office this morning asking what the hell happened, where was my daughter's supervision, and why were her and one other toddler left to their own devices (toddlers can find trouble sooo quickly!) Honestly I don't know what answers could justify this, I would expect the teacher who was supposed to be on duty to be fired, it's unacceptable, and I would consider a new daycare and contacting the state. And I'm not usually a rash person, but this is super scary to me.

I would absolutely pull my child from daycare in this situation. Unbelievable!! I feel like they didn't provide the most basic thing you ask for when you pay for daycare -- to have your child safe and well-supervised! You have to wonder how often situations like this have happened but no one found out because they weren't there at the right time.

That sounds like a huge violation and the daycare should be written up for it!

I would pull my kid and report to the state. It's insane to leave two toddlers without supervision.

Sweet Jesus, I would LOSE IT. That is completely unacceptable. I would be moving to a new daycare and reporting them to have their license revoked. It might seem drastic but what if someone had taken a child? What if a child choked on something and passed away because of the lack of supervision? Absolutely unacceptable and I'm livid for you.

@littleveesmommy: You can just call your state licensing department. If you PM me your state, I can find it for you (someone close to me used to work in licensing). My friend said report asap and have exact times if possible (did your dad still sign out)?

ETA: If your profile state is correct, here's the info: http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/childcare/safety.asp

@littleveesmommy: I would be livid. It would be my expectation that the director call me immediately, day off or not, to discuss the situation. I would still probably be looking for another daycare, which I know is so stressful. But I would INSIST on a conversation today unless the director is somehow physically unable to accommodate that.

This is so unbelievable to me, I am so sorry this happened and so glad everyone is ok.

ETA: even if the director is out, there should still be a lead teacher or someone in charge who can talk with you immediately. Do they know why you're calling? If so, it makes me uneasy they're delaying the conversation.

That is a strange situation. Did you find out what happened? The only remotely reasonable thing I can think of is if the teacher had suddenly got sick (like off puking in another bathroom) or was dealing with a sick child away from everyone else? But that's definitely wierd that your dad didn't see anyone while he was there for 10 minutes, which is why I feel like there must be some sort of extenuating circumstances.

Oh heck no! I would be on the phone, demanding to speak to someone NOW! If the director is out, then the assistant director should be available... there has to be someone in charge.

There's really no excuse they could give me that would make that situation acceptable though. You need to report them to the state, leaving children unsupervised is a serious violation.

OMG! So angry for you. I would definitely report it. And it is completely inappropriate their lack of response to you over this matter.

What the F!! That is beyond unacceptable. This coming from someone whose daughter got burned with a lighter a few weeks ago at daycare and kept her enrolled. This situation would have me pulling her immediately and reporting them!!

To add - even if there was some crazy emergency that required leaving the kids unattended (can't imagine what that scenario would be!) they should have put them somewhere safe (eg., in cribs, strapped in a high chair, etc.)

I feel like this kind of occurrence would make the news. Honestly, unless there were no possible way DH or I could take a couple days off to find new daycare arrangements I would never bring my LO back there, especially with the run around you are getting today. And please report it. Here there have to be at least 2 teachers present at any time. The fact that 2 toddlers were unsupervised for even a minute in unacceptable and seriously scary.

In addition to what everyone else has said - I'm surprised no one tried to contact you at home when the teacher came back to find your child gone...that should have prompted some sort of procedure!

Honestly, I'd head down to the daycare and demand to speak with someone. They must be able to get the director on the phone or to the center. That situation and their response is unacceptable. My niece's daycare left her outside alone once when she was 3 for like 2 mins - they lined the kids up outside and counted heads and then they counted heads again outside her classroom and realized she was gone - I guess she snuck out of line? Anyway, the director called my brother and SIL immediately and it was HUGE deal. Even though it was an accident, the teacher was fired and it changed the way the school supervised kids during outdoor play.

Whoa. Everything about this is so wrong. I realize 3 year olds have some idea of what's safe and what's not in a bathroom, but not to the point where you could leave a child unsupervised in there for 10 minutes! What if, heaven forbid, she opened the hot tap and burned herself, or flooded the building, or something even worse? And how is it possible for someone to just walk in and pick up a child, with no teacher in sight? And how are they not able to give you a straight answer about what happened, and an apology?

I've been pretty unhappy with our day care at one point and thinking about switching gave me hives, so I know how tough it is to look for an alternative... but if they can't take care of basic safety, that's a deal-breaker. At the very least, I'd have a talk with the director before being comfortable going back, and would report them to the state. If you're in NY, I think you can call 311 or use this number http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/childcare/safety.asp

This is ALL kinds of messed up.

@littleveesmommy: So, the fact that she allowed your daughter to go to the restroom unsupervised is a huge red flag for me. And then, the fact that she didn't notice that she hadn't returned and didn't call you? Red flag #2. Her story doesn't add up.