Family reels after 2-year-old left on bus for hours outside Aumsville child care center

The family of a 2-year-old girl is reeling after they say she was left outside an Aumsville child care center in a bus for three hours on Monday.

The girl was picked up at her home by a bus driver with Family Building Blocks and driven to Doris’s Place at 574 N 11th St. for her regular Monday class.

But according to the girl’s mother, Cassandra Robinson, she never made it inside. Robinson claims the bus driver forgot her daughter, who has autism, in the bus and left her for three hours outside in 36-degree weather. Robinson said her daughter was strapped in a car seat with a dirty diaper when she was found. Her coat was next to her and her shoes were off.

‘We’re all just kind of still in shock’

Family Building Blocks is a nonprofit serving Marion and Polk counties. They operate child care centers, relief nurseries, family playgroups and parenting classes. Doris’s Place provided two days of half-day classes for Robinson’s family.

When Robinson got a call at noon from the facility director, she assumed her daughter was sick or had gotten pushed by another child.

She rushed to the child care center to find her usually talkative and excited daughter quietly eating lunch and drinking milk. Staff apologized to her and said they would be reporting the incident to the Department of Human Services and the Department of Early Learning and Care.

Robinson said her daughter will not return to the center and their family is talking with regulatory officials about the incident.

“We definitely want to take some sort of action for this,” she said. “This is a nightmare. It shouldn’t happen to anyone.”

She said her daughter has been more clingy in recent days and carries around her baby dolls, apologizing to them. Robinson said she worries about sending her 7-year-old son on the bus now and has trouble sleeping.

“We’re all just kind of still in shock, and we’re all disgusted by it,” she said. “We’re worried about her because she’s so small, but she’s incredibly intelligent for her age. I think she totally understands what happens. I think it’s very confusing for her. It’s confusing for all of us.”

What Family Building Blocks is saying about the incident

Family Building Blocks officials confirmed they reported the incident to regulatory agencies and the bus driver was placed on leave while the matter is under investigation.

“Family Building Blocks fully acknowledges and understands the family’s concerns and the gravity of the situation,” Family Building Blocks Executive Director Patrice Altenhofen said. “We are committed to investigating all the facts and will address this with care and transparency.”

She said Family Building Blocks has strict procedures in place to prevent incidents like this from happening. Their site will be closed this week to triple-check those protocols.

“We value every family that partners with us and cherish the trust parents place in us each day,” Altenhofen said. “Be assured that the safety and well-being of the children we serve is core to our mission and guides everything we do, as it has for 28 years.”

She declined to comment further, citing the nature of the investigation.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on X at @wmwoodworth

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon toddler left on bus for hours outside child care center