Kids' close call near Gold Coast road triggers childcare centre investigation
Queensland police and the Department of Education are investigating a Gold Coast childcare centre over claims two children who nearly ran out onto a busy road had escaped from the centre.
The incident occurred on Thursday and was captured on dashcam cameras. Nearby schoolchildren ran and grabbed the two younger children and pulled them away from Foxwell Road in Coomera.
Dashcam footage screenshots from Foxwell Road in Coomera where two children nearly ran out in front of traffic on October 22.Credit:Rondelle Nicol & Craig Rogers
The dashcam footage was captured by Craig Rogers and Rondelle Nicol and uploaded to an open Google Drive account, before being shared across Gold Coast community groups.
"We just literally saved the lives of two babies today as they were stepping onto the busy road near the Foxwell Road/Finnegan Way roundabout," Ms Nicol posted to Facebook on Thursday.
"They walked through an open gate ... The staff's excuse was that they didn't know the gate was open and didn't know where the babies were.
"The police have been contacted and dashcam footage made available."
The Department of Education said it was investigating "the serious incident" and departmental officers visited the childcare centre on Friday to investigate further.
"As the regulatory authority of early childhood education and care services in Queensland, the Department of Education places the highest priority on the health, safety and wellbeing of children attending these services," a department spokeswoman said in a statement.
"The Department is aware of the serious incident that occurred at Okeedokee Early Learning Centre – Coomera Rivers ... and has immediately commenced an investigation.
"The service’s last assessment and rating were in September 2016 and the quality rating was determined as meeting standards.
"As the investigation has only just commenced it is too early to identify potential breaches and relevant penalties."
Older schoolchildren ushered the two young kids away from the busy Foxwell Road.Credit:Rondelle Nicol & Craig Rogers
Okeedokee Early Learning Centre is located on the corner of Foxwell Road and Finnegan Way and sits overlooking the roundabout Ms Nicol mentioned.
A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman confirmed police were also making inquiries into the matter.
Okeedokee Early Learning Centre at Coomera Rivers has been contacted for comment.
Toby Crockford is a breaking news reporter at the Brisbane Times