Jigsaw Nurseries- Has anyone any info on the recent incident

[Tillysmummy]

Hi all

My DD is currently being looked after by a nanny one day a week but is due to start a local Jigsaw nursery in August (she'll be 10 months).

We received a letter yesterday informing us that at child had died recently that used to attend the Milton Keynes Jigsaw and that an investigation was underway. The child had apparently been ill when dropped off and they contacted the mother when the child deteriorated and then the child was collected but very sadly died in the afternoon.

Has anyone else got this letter / got their children at a Jigsaw nursery. Can anyone else give me any more info / put my mind at rest.

I wouldn't be at all concerned except they indicate a police investigation is underway - why would this be if there was no liability with the nursery ?

We got exactly the same letter, which raises more concerns than it answers. I wondered from the child's rapid deterioration whether it might have been meningitis but I imagine they would have said if it was. Perhaps there is some concern that the staff should have picked it up earlier. Its your worst nightmare, a terrible thing to have happened.

I am not sure if this helps, but my dd (now 22 months) has been a jigsaw 3 days a week for over a year and has a fine old time and I have every confidence in them. We have been contacted once or twice when she has been out of sorts, or feverish and they always seem to have erred on the side of caution. I once arrived in a total panic to find her recovered and tucking into her teatime cake.

My little boy went to Jigsaw nursery for two and half years and they were brilliant. I only stopped him going because I had a little girl and am now a SAHM. If ever he had a temperature or was off colour they informed us immediately and once he woke up with blood coming from his eye and they took him straight to A&E and met us there. Fortunately it was nothing serious but they were brilliant throughout. I hadn't heard about the child in Milton Keynes but I feel sure the investigation would be normal due to the sudden death and age of the child.

I think a police investigation is a legal requirement, as in any sudden death. What a tragic thing to happen, though.

I hate to say this as it is obviously such a tragedy that the poor child has died, and the parents must be distraught, but would you drop your child off at nursery if he/she were unwell? Perhaps the parents must take some responsibility for this too, nurseries are not surgeries.

Tillysmummy, I am very shocked. When my son was six months old I decided to try to find a nursery for him as I was returning to work part time. I selected the Milton Keynes Jigsaw nursery.

They asked me to leave him there for a couple of hours around meal time so that they could try to feed him.

I was a bit disturbed when I dropped him off as they had ordered him some fancy jar for babies 9 months and over - he was only 6 months old.

I left them the baby rice I'd brought and went off. When I returned 2 hours later he was in his car seat facing a wall, wimpering and being totally ignored.

I rushed over demanding what was the matter with him? I dragged him away from the wall he was facing and could see that he had obviously been crying for a long time.

I immediately picked him up and he did an almighty burp. After that he was fine. They had not bothered to wind him and had stuffed him in the corner out of the way.

I was so annoyed I just left and only returned to the nursery to complain about the treatment my son had received. They appologised and I went somewhere else.

I am welling up now just thinking about it and as I'm at work I think I'd better stop now!!!

Sister - maybe you should contact the police about that, they may want to hear from other mothers who have experience of the nursery.

Tillysmummy,
I'm sure that the nursery you are planning to send your dd to will be good or bad depending on the particular manager and staff, rather than on what chain it is part of. Go and see the place, talk to the staff, try and talk to other mums who have kids at that particular nursery, then make a decision based on that. When my ds first went to his nursery at 9mths, I found that talking to other parents helped me most. If you don't know any of the other mums, either ask the nursery to put you in touch or even hang around at collecting time and ask (perhaps arrange to visit around then?). I know that as a mum who has been very pleased indeed with my children's nursery (dd is now there as well) I am always happy to talk to prospective and worried mums about it.

Rhubarb, I will try to ring the police tonight although I know my hubby will not be too happy about it.

Ladies, thanks for all your messages and I do agree that it is the individual carers and not the nursery and I am sure they were not at fault. However, my DH phoned the Chief Exec (number on letter) and asked a few questions. There is a police investigation because of the sudden death so you are right but my hubby said that they said the child had not actually appeared unwell and when he asked if there were investigations into any of the staff underway they said that possibly this would be the case but they couldn't confirm. I am sure that it is one of those terribly sad, unfortunate things that is nobody's fault but I can't help feeling anxious about it.

Since things happen in daycares and other places they probally look into this kind of thing as procedure. Doesnt always mean someone was neglegent. If the child was already ill before getting dropped off and everyone knew it then it probally is nothing to worry about. I personally would not put my child there until the investigation is over and all is okay. You cant be sure until. Good luck

Sister, did you call the police. I am sad about your story.

After much deliberating, hubby and i have decided to keep the nanny on for the next 5 / 6 months and then reconsider when they have finished investigations etc.

It's only for one day a week and I'm sure it actually isn't the nurseries fault, after all, as you all say why was the mother dropping the child off there but also unfortunately these things do occasionally happen.

Thanks all for your advice anyway.

Tillysmummy, no I didn't call the police as I spoke to hubby when I got home and he said that it happened quite a while ago. He said that it was actually the nurseries fault as the outcome was that they gave the child dairy products which the child was allergic to.
I don't know what the outcome was and haven't come accross anything in my local papers