3-year-old wanders off Tukwila preschool campus, walks home after teacher loses child

TUKWILA, Wash. — A 3-year-old boy wandered off the campus of a Tukwila preschool program and walked home after his teacher had lost him, the mother said.

Ana Maldonado said her three-year-old son Giovanni was enrolled in the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, a preschool program located inside Tukwila Elementary School.

On October 9, she said her son showed up at her front door after he had walked more than 100 yards back home.

“Horrible, because if he wouldn’t have come home, I wouldn’t even know that he was in the streets,” she said.

Maldonado said the school district never notified her about the alleged incident.

The mother said she called the school district to get answers.

She later decided to take her son out of the program after hearing the teacher’s response, Maldonado said.

“She proceeded to tell me he had escaped and that she could not run after him because of the teacher-to-student ratio,” she said. “I was broken when she said that. I was like you would seriously not chase after a 3-year-old? In a minute or seconds, he could be down the road.”

The teacher told Maldonado that her son told her he was going to grab something from the playground, the mother said, however, when the teacher went outside, her son was nowhere to be found.

Maldonado said she learned from the district that the alarm system, which prevents preschool students from leaving campus, was not properly working that day.

“Completely broke my heart because I’m trusting you. I’m leaving you my kids. I’m going to work, I expect them to stay in a safe spot, but yet your protocols and your gated system were not working,” she added. “Not only was he able to get out, someone could’ve come into the building and they wouldn’t have even known because the alarm system wasn’t working.”

KIRO 7 News requested an interview with the school district to get their response. A spokesperson for the district declined to talk with us on camera, but instead, shared a statement on the school district’s website Tuesday, October 22.

The district said they were aware of the incident on October 9.

“The safety of all our students is our top priority, and we take any concerns related to student safety seriously,” the district wrote.

“Immediately following the incident, the district initiated an investigation including an internal review of safety protocols and procedures at Tukwila Elementary. We are committed to working with the parent to ensure her concerns are addressed and to reviewing all aspects of the situation, including staff-to-student ratios, alarm systems, and the actions taken by staff,” the district added. “The district has protocols in place to ensure student safety, and we are always striving to improve and learn from incidents like this to better serve our students and families.”

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