BILLINGS — A Billings mother was left terrified Thursday days after her three-year-old son left his downtown daycare unattended.
Amelia Haun said the police report shows that her son, Ryder Boyce, was unsupervised for 15 minutes downtown after exiting The Learning Grove-Downtown on Third Avenue North.
Watch this video to hear Haun's reaction:
Boyce was found by a passerby, who led him to a different daycare, Little Llama Learners, located across the street.
"I was terrified, mad and sad all at the same time," Haun said in a phone call with MTN Thursday afternoon. "They put his life in danger."
Haun said her son was upset when she was dropping him off, and she believes he left the building looking for her.
"Then he was walking outside in the cold, not knowing where he is," Haun said. "He was traumatized. He's never going to be okay being dropped off somewhere."
Another Billings mother, Kristy Hoelle, said she's had bad experiences at The Learning Grove-Downtown. Hoelle said her children were only at the daycare for six weeks when they left in January.
"In the amount of time that we were there, we experienced a lot of neglect," Hoelle said. "My daughter, three different times, was left for about three hours plus in a soiled diaper."
Hoelle said the daycare records what time the diaper was changed by writing it on the side. She said she had complained about those incidents, but that the final straw came when her daughter's father came to pick her up.
"He ended up coming into the daycare, walking all the way back to the room that she was in, getting my daughter and leaving without them realizing she was gone," Hoelle said. "Then they messaged me two hours later and said I didn't sign her out."
Hoelle said when she complained after that incident, the facility director removed the child from their care.
"They said that I had clearly lost their trust, and that I had until the end of the day to get my kids' stuff," Hoelle said.
Hoelle's complaints, and others, can be found on the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services website. It shows that there were other problems at The Learning Grove-Downtown, including not enough staff to care for the number of children.
Little Llama Learners owner Cora Veis said that providers are aware of when annual inspections will take place, but she added that random ones occur throughout the year.
"If you're doing things right the whole year, I feel like there's not so much worry," Veis said. "It's very important to have everyone on the same page."
Veis said that communication is key ,and safety is her concern year-round.
"It's not something I just think about once a year," Veis said. "I was thinking about it before I even opened."
Haun said she'll remember her safety scare for years to come and has removed her son from the facility. At this time, she said she's unsure if she'll pursue legal action.
MTN News reached out Thursday to The Learning Grove-Downtown Thursday seeking comment but did not get a response. On Wednesday, the owner of the daycare, Shelby Kuchinski, said the agency self-reported the incident to the state and has held training with staff to change procedures and prevent future incidents.
