“Our son was robbed of a very special part of his early childhood life – a scar that will always be part of him.”
A Richmond family say it was left with “fake assurances” and no help after being given just one warning before their five-year-old son would be booted out of preschool.
Richmond resident Arin Ghosh and his wife were asked to take their five-year-old son home after being told he was showing “unsafe behaviour” at a city-run program, Rainbows and Unicorn Preschool on March 3.
Ghosh told the Richmond News that the director of the City of Richmond’s childcare services, Amanda Yipp, said “several parents” raised concerns about their son’s behaviour in the classroom as well.
This caught both parents by surprise as this was their first time hearing anything from staff or parents regarding their son’s behaviour since he started attending the preschool at Hamilton Community Centre in 2020
“We know our son is often very energetic, as most five-year-old kids are, but this was definitely something new to us because no one ever said anything to us,” said Ghosh.
“We don’t want to be biased because he is our son, all we want is to make sure we can do everything we can as parents for our son, and also for the teachers and students too.”
The Richmond News reached out to the Hamilton Community Association for comment but Dick Chan, president of the association, said they cannot divulge information on specific situations.
Instead, he cited that the preschool is licensed and follow the guidelines and procedures set by the Child Care Licencing Regulations as well as the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.
After being told of their son’s “unsafe behaviour” it was agreed that he would be kept at home until after spring break to give everyone time to evaluate the situation and to consult a medical professional.
“The doctor assessed that there was nothing out of ordinary in his behaviour and suggested he go back to school,” said Ghosh.
Following a three-week break, Ghosh followed-up with Yipp and suggested their son attend preschool fewer days per week to help lighten the staff’s load.
In an email response back to the family, Yipp agreed but added that “if another incident involving violence or unsafe behaviour towards another child of staff occurs, (their son) will be withdrawn from the program.”
“To basically hear that our son would be kicked out of preschool after hearing about only one incident… is just unbelievable,” said Ghosh.
Instead of sending their son back, the family decided to keep him at home.
“School was everything for him, but to send him back with the chance of him having to be withdrawn (again) might lead to a greater mental scar,” he added.
“Luckily, I work from home, but I can’t imagine what it would be like for families who don’t.”
Unexpected and shocking incident report
To support their son moving forward, Ghosh said he and his wife requested a behaviour incident report, and that’s when the next shock hit.
The report details incidents dating back to October 2021, and even that doesn’t show the full extent of the problem as many incidents were left out as staff felt they “were minor at the time,” according to the report, provided by the Hamilton Community Association.
“It’s one surprise after another,” said Ghosh.
“Our son went through a lot of mental trauma when we sat him down and told him that he won’t be able to see his teachers or meet his friends – that was a lot for a 5-year-old to go through.”
Ghosh said he wished the school could have handled the situation differently and more professionally.
The News asked the association what their exact protocol is for contacting parents when staff notice persistent behavioural problems, however neither Chan nor the Hamilton Community Association responded prior to publication.
