Bright Horizons' Columbus Circle preschool was closed indefinitely after a staff member accidentally served children a diluted sanitizing solution containing bleach on Oct. 27. The company said a pitcher was filled from a dispenser prepared daily for toy sanitizing, and a teacher reportedly consumed some before contacting Poison Control. The incident follows July indictments of three former employees accused of abusing infants and toddlers, prompting criticism from experts and parents about safety practices at the center.
Prestigious NYC Daycare Shuts Preschool After Children Accidentally Served Bleach Solution
GettyToddler drinking water (stock image)
Bright Horizons at Columbus Circle has closed its preschool program indefinitely after children were accidentally served a diluted cleaning solution containing bleach, officials and the center say.
According to the company, on Oct. 27 an employee "mistakenly" filled a water pitcher from a dispenser that contained a sanitizing solution prepared daily for cleaning toys. The solution was described as two gallons of water mixed with a small amount of bleach. The Health Department notified the center by email that the preschool program would be shut down after the incident "exposed children to a toxic chemical," CBS News reported.
Google mapsBright Horizons Daycare
Company Response
Bright Horizons issued a statement emphasizing the safety of children as its priority and said the incident was an accident. The company said a staff member realized something was wrong after a teacher reportedly drank some of the solution and then contacted Poison Control.
"The safety and well-being of the children in our care is our highest priority," the center said in a statement to media outlets.
Context: Earlier Criminal Allegations
The closure and the chemical-exposure incident drew heightened scrutiny because they followed separate criminal allegations at the same location earlier this year. In July, three former employees — Evelyn Vargas, Shakia Henley and Latia Townes — were arrested and later indicted on multiple counts related to alleged abuse of infants and toddlers, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and PEOPLE reported.
GettyBleach bottle (stock image)
Prosecutors say the alleged mistreatment involved as many as nine children between the ages of one and two and included disturbing claims such as dragging a toddler by the hair, force-feeding ginger shots, stuffing tissue into mouths, applying packing tape across a child's mouth, restraining children in chairs, striking toddlers with an object, and spraying a mixture that included soap and bleach. The three defendants have pleaded not guilty; charges include Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and in Vargas’s case additional counts including Assault and Strangulation in the Second Degree.
"As alleged, these day care workers abused and criminally mistreated multiple toddlers, no older than 24 months," District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a July press release announcing the indictments. He stressed that the Child Abuse Bureau is dedicated to protecting the city’s youngest residents.
Reactions And Concerns
Parents and early childhood experts have expressed shock and concern. Erin O'Connor, director of NYU's Early Childhood Education program, told CBS New York that basic safety practices should prevent toxic materials from being located near a children's water supply and that the incident raises questions about the center's safety procedures following the earlier allegations.
Bright Horizons at Columbus Circle did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment. Local health authorities and the center have said the preschool program will remain closed while the matter is addressed.
Sources: Bright Horizons statement; CBS News; PEOPLE; Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
