Guardian Childcare & Education Cherrybrook

A few days ago, I booked a tour of the centre and brought my children along. During the visit, I let them play in the yard. However, I witnessed something very disturbing. Two white boys, who appeared to be older than the other children, began chasing my 4-year-old daughter. At first, I thought they were just playing. But when they caught up to her, they stretched out their arms to block her path so she couldn’t get through. What was even more troubling was that these two boys seemed to have "followers." Whatever they did to my daughter, two younger Asian boys and one Asian girl would copy them. I saw multiple instances where all five children surrounded my daughter, shouting at her in a provocative manner and preventing her from moving forward. My daughter was frightened and had to hide behind me several times. There were three educators present, but none of them intervened. Perhaps they assumed it was just normal play among children. However, with closer observation, it was clear that this was not the case. I didn’t step in right away because I wanted to observe how both the children and educators would respond. Later, my daughter went to sit next to one of the educators, but the two white boys immediately followed her. They surrounded her again, making aggressive gestures and loud noises, as if it were a game. My daughter looked uncomfortable and covered her ears, yet the educator still did not react. It wasn’t until I approached and asked the boys to quiet down that the educator finally told them to be quiet. Even as we were leaving, the two white boys continued to follow us, making faces and strange noises. I don’t believe this was a case of curious or friendly interaction from children meeting a stranger. We’ve decided not to choose this centre, but I believe it’s important to bring this incident to your attention. This is the first time I’ve seen such a clear hierarchy and group dynamic among children in a childcare setting. I believe there is a real risk of bullying developing in this environment.