Lower Sackville daycare put on notice after 2 kids wander away

A daycare in Lower Sackville, N.S., has been put on notice after two children wandered off during a walk this week.

The children, both age 3,attendFirst Lake Early Learning Centre Daycare.

They were on a trail that linked the daycare to a nearby high school. An education assistant from the high school found the children and notified the daycare.

The children were returned safely.

The daycare's licence has been placed on probation.

"This is alarming and shouldn't have happened," JoAnn Alberstat, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia's Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, told CBC News in an email on Saturday.

"Thankfully, the children were unharmed. The first priority of any childcare centre is to keep children safe. As the regulator, we've taken immediate action and we expect the childcare centre to do the same."

Probation on the daycare's licence means there will be "very frequent unannounced inspections over the next month or until the inspectors are satisfied," according to Alberstat.

The department said the daycare's board is also reviewing the situation.

The daycare is also required to submit a plan that will outline steps to ensure a similar situation doesn't happen again, the department said.

That action can include mandatory additional training, education, staff suspensions or termination, the department said.

The daycare would only confirm that there was an incident involving two children from the centre.

First Lake Early Learning Centre's executive director, Jennie Lydiard, said in an email they couldn't say more due to confidentiality concerns and the ongoing investigation.

Lydiard said the centre and the board of directors take the matter seriously,fully understand the significance of the incident, and the daycare is co-operating with theDepartment of Education.

"There will be a detailed action plan completed to ensure that this does not happen again. The safety and care of the children at the centre is our number one priority," said Lydiard.