Toddler with bruised ear: ECDA reveals teacher also pushed him and caused fall

SINGAPORE — A pre-school teacher is under investigation for allegedly pushing a one-year-old boy away from a window when he tried to climb up the grille, after which he fell.

In response to queries, an Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) spokesperson on Jan 16 said the teacher had used an "inappropriate method" in trying to stop the child from climbing the grilles.

The incident was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV).

The spokesperson said: "On Jan 3, 2024, the child was repeatedly attempting to climb onto a low window grille and the educator pushed him away from the window.

"The child fell on his bottom on the play mat and rolled over sideways onto his back."

She added that ECDA reviewed CCTV footage from Jan 2 to Jan 5 when the child was in school, and that was when the incident was uncovered.

The incident was uncovered when the agency was reviewing CCTV footage from the child's pre-school, after the child's parents had reported to the pre-school that he was injured. The pre-school is PCF Sparkletots in the northern part of Singapore.

The boy's father told ST on Jan 10 he had discovered a bruise the size of a 50-cent coin on his son's right ear and scratches on his face on Jan 5.

This was just the fourth day of pre-school for the 22-month-old, who is an only child.

The father added: "My wife and I assumed that the injury could only come from school, as he did not suffer any knocks or falls at home."

Worried, the father lodged a police report and took the child to see a doctor, who said there was no internal bleeding.

When pre-school operations resumed on Jan 8, the parents flagged the incident to the school.

Responding to queries, the pre-school's operator PCF said on Jan 10 that CCTV footage was shown to the parents on Jan 9 and no cause for the bruise was seen then.

ECDA said the pre-school reported the incident to the agency on Jan 8, leading to investigations that included unannounced visits to the pre-school, reviewing CCTV footage when the child was present in the school, as well as interviews.

Based on the agency's preliminary findings, the bruise on the boy's right ear could have occurred on Jan 4 when the child was seated on a low chair, lost his balance and fell backwards onto the floor, ECDA said. This was caught on CCTV.

In an updated statement on Jan 16, PCF said it will co-operate with the agency's investigations.

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While the boy's injuries have faded, he has stopped attending school after the injuries were discovered as he was "badly traumatised", his father told ST on Jan 16. The boy's parents have yet to decide on withdrawing their son from the pre-school.

Even now, the child's father remains doubtful that the bruise on the boy's ear had been caused by the child falling on his own.

He questioned why the pre-school had not flagged the incident involving a teacher, adding that he had learnt about that incident only on Jan 15 when ECDA informed him.

The agency said: "While incidents involving children may sometimes occur despite the pre-school's best efforts, ECDA takes a serious view towards all cases of child mismanagement.

"Actions will be taken against the pre-school operator and staff if our findings support the allegation." 

When educators are found to have inappropriately managed children, ECDA will issue warning letters.

In serious cases, the individuals will be barred from working in the pre-school sector and can be referred to the police for criminal investigation.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.