23-month-old girl in daycare drowns in nearby pool
Daycare’s licence suspended after child found unresponsive in neighbour’s pool
The Fraser Health Authority has yanked the licence of a Mission daycare after the accidental drowning death of one of the children in its care.
The 23-month-old girl was reported missing by the owner of Melissa’s Bright Beginnings daycare in the 33000-block of Hawthorne Avenue around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, said the RCMP. The caller told police about 10 minutes had elapsed since the little girl was last seen.
Officers arrived and searched the daycare and neighbouring properties. An officer found the toddler in the swimming pool of the house next door, jumped into the water and retrieved the girl, calling for help. Emergency crews arrived and performed CPR. The girl was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The daycare’s licence, issued in September 2017, was immediately suspended, according to Fraser Health, which is conducting its own investigation.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy and our hearts and thoughts are with the family at this time,” said spokeswoman Tasleem Juma.
Neighbour Mitsuko Clysdale was alerted to the tragedy by loud voices coming from the house across the street.
“I heard a woman’s voice saying, ‘Did you find her? Did you find her?’ After finding out the girl was in the pool, she started screaming and crying.”
Outside the home, amid the commotion of police cars, ambulances and other parents, Clysdale saw the panicked parents — the father holding his head, then pacing, and the mother, who at one point sat on the ground crying.
“It’s a horrible way to lose your child, especially under supervision,” she said.
Ian Johnston, who lives on the other side of the house with the pool, didn’t know what was unfolding next door until he looked out his window and saw an RCMP officer frantically trying to save a small child’s life in the backyard.
“That young police officer, she was busting her ass working on that little girl,” he said.
“My heart just went out there to them.”
During a surprise visit in January, Fraser Health found a number of violations at the daycare, including having too many young kids.
Out of the eight children present at the time of the inspection, five were under the age of three, said the report, two more than what was permitted under the daycare’s licence.
The report also noted supervision challenges because of the space’s layout.
“Rooms are divided by walls, making direct line of vision not possible,” it said.
The daycare provider told the inspector her typical practice was to keep the group together when moving from one area to another and that she will be vigilant in maintaining this practice.
Fraser Health said the daycare, which lists Melissa Richmond as the manager, later followed up in writing and said it had addressed the concerns.
The health authority also received a complaint in April related to noise and supervision. The owner committed to fix the issue.
Calls to the daycare Thursday were not answered.
On Thursday, RCMP officers could be seen going in and out of the backyard of the house with the pool through a side door. A tall wooden fence separates both properties’ backyards. Police confirmed the pool was in a fenced backyard.
That property is “locked up as tight as a drum,” said Johnston, who was baffled by how the little girl was able to slip next door.
Mission RCMP Staff Sgt. Steve Crawford said it was too early to tell whether charges could stem from the incident.
The loss of a loved one is always an extremely difficult time, said Crawford in a statement.
“But it’s much harder when it is a child, and our thoughts go out to the family, and all of those involved.”
It’s a horrible way to lose your child, especially under supervision. MITSUKO CLYSDALE, neighbour