FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The death of a 2-year-old boy who was left in a van Monday outside a day care in Oakland Park has renewed concerns for parents and early learning advocates about how safe children are when they go to these type of facilities.
Broward Sheriff's Office deputies said Noah Sneed was found dead Monday afternoon inside a van that had been parked all day outside Ceressa's Daycare & Preschool in Oakland Park.
Jackie Berlin, of Jack and Jill's Children Center in Fort Lauderdale, told Local 10 News reporter Neki Mohan that the children who attend her facility are counted and accounted for every time they change rooms.
"We want to make sure the kids are safe, we want to make sure that they're properly supervised by their teachers and we want to make sure that parents, when they come to pick up their children, they pick up a child they have given to us safely," she said.
The incident involving Noah saddens everyone, especially because it was preventable.
"It's sad. Safety is key. Can we control safety at times? Yes, we can," Berlin said.
Some day care vans are equipped with an alarm that goes off when a child is left inside.
According to the day care, when children from Jack and Jill are transported, they wear bright orange shirts. Roll call is taken when they get into the van and then again when they return to the day care, the facility said.
Proper staffing is also crucial. Early learning advocates want the state to require better wages for people who work with small children and believe that will attract better employees.
"If we put money in and train the staff, then we will get quality people for our society," Berlin said.
Noah's death remains under investigation. The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine an official cause of death.