PUBLISHED ONJuly 14, 2025 1:23 AMUPDATEDJuly 15, 2025 9:50 AMBYChing Shi JieRenny Izzatie first received a call from her daughter's form teacher, informing her that her one-year-old had been injured while playing at her pre-school.
The bleeding had stopped and little Lisa was no longer crying, staff at the Little Footprints Preschool branch in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 allegedly told the girl’s mother on Thursday (July 3).
But what was described as a "minor injury" turned out to be far more serious - her daughter required painful surgery on the same day to close a deep laceration on her tongue.
In a series of Instagram stories, Izzatie, 35, who declined to give her occupation, said she has several questions for the school. Among them, why her daughter was put to sleep for nap time after the incident, instead of being taken to a clinic immediately after the accident.
"They are not medical professionals, so it's not up to them what is serious and what is not," she added. "And the fact they downplayed the whole situation about the fall. They didn't even mention how deep the cut was."
Izzatie said on social media that Lisa's form teacher first called to informed her about the accident at 12.43pm. Her daughter was "playing independently" when she fell.
Assuming from the minute-long call that the injury was not severe, the mother only picked her daughter up from the pre-school nearly two hours later.
Izzatie, a mother of four, said she then sent Lisa to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, where she was placed under general anaesthesia and given 12 sutures on her tongue.
In a message to the principal on her Instagram stories, Izzatie said: "The lack of urgency and the reassurance given to us gave a completely false impression, and this could have serious consequences.
"The attending surgeon also expressed concern how the injury occurred and how a fall, reportedly on her buttocks, could result in such a deep laceration to the middle of her tongue.
"We find this confusing and would appreciate if the CCTV footage could be reviewed and a clear, detailed timeline of events provided."
Speaking to AsiaOne on Monday (July 7), Izzatie said that her daughter has since been discharged a day after the surgery.
"She's doing okay, but on the day of the accident, she kept crying and pointing to her mouth and said, 'mama, mama'," she said, adding that she is in contact with the pre-school in her search for answers.
"I'm not even blaming them that Lisa had a fall in school because kids injure themselves even when with me," she added. "I'm just angry at how the school handled after the fall occurred."
In another Instagram story on Tuesday (July 8), Izzatie said that the school has issued an apology, and that the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will be looking into the matter.
In the meantime, she is weighing up all options for Lisa - including transferring her to another pre-school.
"I'll be keeping Lisa at home until things are settled or until I can manage the anxiety," said Izzatie. "I feel nauseous just thinking about sending her back."
A spokesperson for Babilou Family Singapore, the parent company of Little Footprints Preschool, said it is working closely with ECDA and has reached out to the family to offer its full support.
“We’re heartened to see that the child is on the road to recovery,” she said. “Our priority remains on her well-being, and we look forward to welcoming her back school."
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, ECDA confirmed that it is investigating the incident.
"If our investigations reveal that any early childhood development centre regulations have been breached, appropriate actions will be taken against the preschool operator and staff responsible for the breach," its spokesperson said.
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