I'm a 25-year-old woman working at an unlicensed daycare center. I've always loved working with kids, so I earned my childcare license and started out working at a large, state-licensed facility.
A "licensed" daycare is one that meets state-mandated criteria—basically, fulfilling strict requirements regarding building size, playgrounds, play equipment, and so on. On the flip side, places operated out of renovated commercial spaces with a small staff fall into the "unlicensed" or "childcare center" category.
The licensed daycare I first worked at was a large facility that received plenty of city subsidies, but the other staff members were a clique of women in their fifties, and I ended up dealing with some pretty awful bullying.
Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to switch jobs and landed a position at a small, unlicensed daycare.
Right now, this place has ten kids and five teachers, including myself. The teachers' ages range widely, from a 22-year-old to someone in her early 40s. Rules can be strict or loose depending on the center, but this place was fairly relaxed. As long as "safety came first"—meaning no accidents occurred—we were free to work at our own pace, which made it a great environment.
*************************************
One day, instead of his mother, the father of one of our two-year-olds—Yu-kun (fake name)—came to pick him up.
Having only recently started working here, I had only ever seen Yu-kun's mother. So I checked with my coworker, Yumi-senpai (fake name, 22 years old).
Me: "Yumi-sensei, Yu-kun's dad is here to pick him up. What should I do?" Yumi-senpai: "That's rare. I've never seen him before either. Just ask for the child's name and birthdate as a precaution. If they match, you're good to go."
Following her advice, I checked with the father.
Me: "Welcome. Just to double-check, could you tell me your child's full name and date of birth?" Father: "Sure. Yuya Saito, born January 10th, 20XX."
I checked his student profile sheet (which holds the child's personal info) and everything matched, so—
Me: "Great, everything looks good. Yu-kun, your dad's here to pick you up!"
When I called Yu-kun and brought him over to the dad, the boy's face momentarily showed a look of "Huh?" Yu-kun is two, but he barely speaks yet. Working in childcare, we often have to gauge how kids feel by their expressions and actions.
Father: "Sorry about that. I usually leave early in the morning and get home after he's already asleep, so we don't see each other much. He always reacts like this on my days off."
Me: "Ah, I see! Well, take care going home. Bye-bye, Yu-kun, see you tomorrow!"
Held in the man's arms, Yu-kun still looked somewhat blank, but he didn't cry and quietly went with him.
*************************************
An hour later, Yu-kun's mother arrived at the daycare.
Mother: "Sorry I'm late~! Is Yu-kun doing okay?" Me: "Huh...? His dad came to pick him up an hour ago...?"
The mother looked confused. "Huh? Really? My husband is supposed to be at work... Let me call him real quick," she said, pulling out her phone.
Mother: "Oh, hi. Did you go pick up Yu-kun today? You should've told me~!" They seemed like a close, happy family. But her very next words instantly shifted the entire atmosphere of the room.
Mother: "...What...? You didn't pick him up...?" Me: "......!!??"
Mother: "Wait, but Yu-kun isn't at the daycare right now... Hang on, let me call you back," she said, hanging up the phone.
Mother: "...My husband... says he didn't come..." She spoke slowly, all the color draining from her face.
Me: "What do you mean...? Someone definitely came to pick him up. I verified his name and birthdate, and everything was correct...?"
The mother began to tremble violently, tears welling up in her eyes.
Me: "Are you okay...? Is there anyone you can think of who might have come...?" Mother: "...It might... be my ex-husband..."
Yu-kun's mother explained that she had remarried her current husband, and that Yu-kun was from her previous marriage. The divorce had been caused by her ex-husband's reckless spending and severe domestic violence. When he was in a good mood, he was gentle, but whenever he lost at gambling, he would turn violent.
Mother: "The court issued a restraining order against my ex-husband for me and my child... He shouldn't be coming anywhere near us..."
Our daycare had no idea about her divorce, remarriage, or the history of domestic violence. A licensed daycare spends an immense amount of time investigating family backgrounds and conducting interviews to thoroughly verify if everything is safe.
But unlicensed daycares and private centers rarely do such deep background checks.
That oversight directly led to this horrific "accident"—handing a child over to the wrong person.
*************************************
Now that I understood what was happening, reality hit me like a ton of bricks.
It had been an hour and fifteen minutes since I handed Yu-kun over to the man I thought was his father. Taking a child when there's a court-ordered restraining order after a divorce is straight-up kidnapping. And there was even a chance it wasn't the ex-husband, but someone else entirely.
Which meant Yu-kun was currently in extreme danger.
Me: "Call your husband right now! I'm going to talk to the director!" Mother: "...! Okay!"
I handed off my class to an available teacher and rushed to the director's office. After explaining the situation to the director—
Me: "...So that's what happened. What should we do?" Director: "I understand. Our center bears responsibility for this as well. Please tell Yu-kun's mother to contact the police immediately. We will call them from our end too. After that, contact all other parents to ask them to pick up their children. As soon as everyone is gone, we'll close the center and cooperate fully with the police investigation."
Me: "Understood."
I returned to the floor, explained the situation to the other classes, and asked them to prepare for early pick-ups. When I went back to the mother, she was pale with fear and anxiety, weeping uncontrollably.
Me: "Are you alright? Did you reach your husband?" Mother: "Yes... I did. He says he's on his way here right now..."
Even though we didn't know, our center was at fault... I braced myself, thinking her husband was going to chew us out.
*************************************
When the husband arrived, the very first thing he said was—
Husband: "I am so terribly sorry for all the trouble we've caused you!!"
—bowing deeply. We were taken aback.
Me: "No, please! We are the ones who are deeply sorry!!" All I could do was bow repeatedly in return.
The husband said he had already called the police and had also gotten in touch with the ex-husband's family home.
Husband: "I called his family, but they said he left around noon and they haven't been able to reach him since..." Me: "Is that... so..."
Soon after, the police arrived and began questioning us at the daycare.
A detective asked me for the man's physical description and whether I knew the make, model, or license plate of his car. To be honest, I knew nothing about cars, so I had no idea about the model.
Me: "That's what the man looked like... but I'm so sorry, I don't know anything about cars..."
Just as I said that, Aya-senpai from another class, who loved cars, piped up: "Oh, I know! I couldn't see every detail, but it was a black Honda Accord with the plate number '8888.' I saw him put Yu-kun inside, so I'm positive!"
The detective said, "Thank you! We'll conduct our search based on this information!!" Just as he was about to head out, the mother, who had been listening, spoke up.
"There's no mistake... That's... my ex-husband's car."
Her husband added, "This is where he lives, here's his contact info, and this is his address," handing the detective the court notice documents he had brought with him.
Detective: "Thank you very much! We'll contact you as soon as there's any progress!"
With that, the police rushed out.
The mother was still a complete emotional wreck, so the husband said, "I'm going to take her home and call her parents over to help calm her down. If we hear anything, we'll let you know. Thank you for everything you've done," and they left the daycare.
*************************************
Two hours had passed while we made phone calls to explain the situation and apologize to the other parents.
Then, a call came from the police.
Detective: "This is the police. Regarding Yuya-kun..." I was the one who picked up the phone. Please let it be good news... please, God...!!!
Detective: "At 5:45 PM, we located him safe and sound!!!" Me: "!!!!!"
The overwhelming tension snapped, and tears burst from my eyes.
Me: "Thank God...!!!"
Hearing my cry, the other teachers gathered around, asking, "Did they find him?!" "Is Yu-kun okay?!"
"He's safe! They found him!" I told them. Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief, some bursting into tears—the room was filled with pure relief.
Detective: "The suspect has been taken into custody. We've notified the parents, and Yuya-kun is currently being transported to the hospital for a check-up just in case."
Me: "I understand. Thank you so much!!"
Right after I hung up, the mother called.
Mother: "Yu-kun is safe!! Thank you so much!!" Me: "That's wonderful! Which hospital are you at?! I'm coming right now!"
The director and I headed straight to the hospital. In the waiting room, the mother, her husband, and her parents were waiting. While the director talked with the husband to apologize for the incident and discuss future measures, the mother filled me in on the details.
Mother: "It really was my ex-husband who kidnapped Yu-kun. He's been arrested and is currently being interrogated..."
Me: "I see..." Mother: "Apparently, they found him eating with Yu-kun in the food court of a department store in town. He had bought him a whole bunch of toys..."
Even as she spoke, the fear hadn't completely left her face, and her voice was still trembling.
Mother: "The detective told me the motive behind the kidnapping..." Me: "...What did he say...?"
Mother: "'I wanted to let my mother see her grandson's face. I was planning to take him to see her after we ate,' he said..." Me: "Is your ex-husband's mother... living at his house right now?"
When I asked that, the mother slowly shook her head.
Mother: "No... His mother passed away about ten years ago. Only his father and older sister live at his house..." Me: ".....What?"
Mother: "...He must have gone through a lot, maybe he was pushed to the edge... to do something like this... If Yu-kun hadn't been rescued when he was..."
Me: "...'To see his mother'... That's what he meant...?"
I felt an immense wave of relief knowing that, because of an adult's self-serving delusion, an innocent child's future wasn't cut short.
*************************************
As an aftermath, Yu-kun suffered no physical or mental harm. After a brief hospital stay for observation, he was discharged. Shortly after, his family moved away.
Because of the traumatizing experience, it was too difficult for the mother to keep living in that town. Fearing the danger once the ex-husband gets out, they moved to a distant place reachable only by plane.
Apparently, a psychological evaluation found mental abnormalities in the ex-husband, and he is currently in a police-monitored facility or psychiatric hospital.
Yu-kun... I hope you stay happy and healthy in your new home.
By the way, because of this whole ordeal, the daycare I worked at ended up shutting down. The media and online news attacked us, asking, "Was there a flaw in the child safety management?" and our reputation plummeted.
The director and teachers were all genuinely good people, so it was a real shame...
Now, I work in a completely different field. To be honest, that incident left me thoroughly traumatized.
If you are reading this and currently have a child in daycare, or are planning to enroll one soon, based on my experience, there is one question I strongly urge you to ask the facility:
"How does this daycare handle pick-ups when someone other than myself comes to get my child?"
