6yo responsible for infant

99% chance that the child is exaggerating. But there is a 1% chance that this is exactly what is going on.

I am always happy to look stupid 99 times if it means that 1 child is saved.

I would love to say your son or the girl are mistaken or worded it wrong but honestly you never know. Id definitely mention it to the teacher. You sound like a good caring person to be concerned.

Don't ask your son to clarify.

The teacher can observe and engage the child in an informal chat.

If a 6 year old is getting up in the night feeding a baby I would be inclined to think the child would be falling asleep in class. Does the child look unkempt? Surely there would be some obvious clues

You wonder how many people don’t mention things their kids tell them so as not to waste the teachers time, the teacher will know the parents, know the child etc better than you and have more insight into whether this might be correct or if she’s exaggerating but I’d rather waste someone’s time than say nothing tbh

Yes, mention it in an email to the class teacher.

Neglected children don't come with big signs pinned to their clothing. Many are happy in school because it's so ordered and they get to be kids there, eating school lunch, relaxing at recess, playing...

My daughter has been getting the school bus with no adult (other than the driver!) since she was four along with many other kids. Totally normal round here.

I think if you’re worried tell the teacher - there’s nothing to lose except a few minutes of time if there’s no cause for concern and everything to lose if there are genuine worries and they go unaddressed.

Silly advice.

It doesn't take a minute to have a quick word just in case.

I would mention it to the teacher just to be on the safe side. But it’s probably more likely the little girl helps with the baby a little bit (such as fetching things) and is exaggerating her role to show off a bit to her friends. Nothing really wrong with that as she won’t understand that it sounds concerning to an adult.

She may not be exaggerating, as a 6 year old in the 1960’s I was most certainly looking after my 2 younger siblings. Including having to ‘ stay awake ‘ in case I was needed whilst my, outwardly respectable parents, were out partying. I also bathed the baby, changed his nappy and gave him his bottle. Please report.

It's 100% not a "waste of the teacher's time". Safeguarding is EVERYONE'S responsibility, it's part of the teacher's job. Yes it is very likely that the child has exaggerated or made it up, but it's not completely impossible. This info could be a vital part of the picture that is needed to help some children stay safe, how is that a waste of time? It's not like you're going to the teacher saying "x told my boy she rides home from school on a green unicorn". It could be true, and if it is true, those children need help.

No, that puts him an awkward position and he isn’t in a position to decide what is important or not anyway. Even adults are told not to try to investigate further (unless that’s their job) just to report it appropriately.

i don’t know about US schools but I am guessing it will be similar to here where schools have a way of recording things to see if it forms a bigger picture or it’s a one off.

You have no idea if it’s accurate or not and no way to find out. I’d mention it to the teacher who can ask a few more questions and knows the other child.

I also say report it.
My AD1 when age 5 was left in sole care of her baby sister.
They eventually were taken into care but only after reports from school, neighbours and police to make a complete picture.

Odds are this girl is exaggerating or making this up. I could easily imagine my DD claiming to be looking after a baby single handedly if we had one. It could be that the baby wakes her in the night and she goes and sees what's going on.

It wouldn't do any harm to speak to her teacher.

Fully agree. My 5yr old adores her baby brother and will tell anyone who will listen about all the jobs she does to take care of him. She does actually know how to change a nappy and will safely play with him while I'm in the room doing a chore e.g. folding laundry. I'm sure this probably gets translated to her being solely responsible for him when she tells her friends in the playground!

As someone who actually did care for my sibling quite a bit at the age of 6, I'd say report it , it will do no harm if its not true and if it is then it could add to a bigger picture. FYI I didn't look neglected either , you don't have to be wearing dirty uniforms and be unclean to be neglected.

I'm in the UK and children very much do go to school on the school bus where I live. The same is true for many rural areas.

DS tells people he is the only one responsible for the cat, it's not true, he just puts his biscuits and water down in the mornings, if he forgets we do it, we also do litter tray, evening meal, vets, grooming etc.
You could mention it to the teacher, just I'm not sure if DS is muddled but he seems to think Jessica is getting up at night to give her baby sister bottles, changing her nappies etc because that's what she's told him. I'm sure it's just crossed wires but thought I'd let you know just in case

Are you in the UK or somewhere else? People will be giving advice based on the UK school safeguarding systems. If you're somewhere else then the advice might not be appropriate.

(I just wondered with rides the bus - in the UK six year olds don't go by bus to school without an adult.)

Honestly no please don’t waste the teachers time. Children come out with all sorts of fantasies,we have heard some amazing stories and the likelihood is pretty near 0 that this is how it is. All kids will “help” their parents with their baby sibling won’t they?