Toddler, 3, used lollipop lady to find his way home

A three-year-old boy walked home alone 'using the lollipop lady' to find his way, causing his mother to endure 'the worst moment' of her life.
The mum of a three-year-old boy who walked home alone from a Middlesbrough playgroup has relived the terrifying moment she learned her son had gone missing.
Gemma Trainor says the phone call to say her son Cain had been lost on his first day at the Little Owls playgroup was the "worst moment of my life."
In the 40 agonising minutes he was missing, Cain somehow negotiated a tricky 1.5-mile route to find his way home.
But despite suffering every parent's worst nightmare, Gemma says she still wants him to attend Little Owls after being reassured by its response to the drama and the tighter procedures it plans to put in place.
Gemma, of Ainsdale Way, Saltersgill, said the horrifying phone call she received as she drove home on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 3 began "a few minutes of total panic." She raced to the playgroup, which is on the same grounds as Newham Bridge Primary School on Cayton Drive, Acklam, where Cain had spent the afternoon in the nursery, to find distraught staff in tears.
Incredibly, the youngster had walked home alone, following a route he barely knew and oblivious to the panic behind him.
Gemma, who works for Cleveland Housing Advice Centre, said: "I had no reception on my phone but when I got outside, I saw the school and Little Owls had been trying to call me several times.
"They started the conversation with something like 'I don't want to worry you but we seem to have lost Cain.'
"I felt sick - there aren't words to describe that feeling of something terrible happening which is totally out of your control.
"I rushed to the school and when I got there, they were all in tears.
"The headteacher came running over, saying they didn't know what had happened. Then within seconds, I got a phone call from my next door neighbour saying Cain had arrived home. I burst into tears with relief."
Cain had only just transferred to Little Owls from a previous nursery, Gemma said. "We moved him because it's on the grounds of the school. It was cheaper, he likes it, his little best friend goes there - it all made sense really."
Cain went missing at 3.20pm during the changeover from the school nursery to the Little Owls after-school session.
Mum-of-two Gemma, 31, said: "Most kids would have cried or screamed, but it looks like he's just thought 'I can't find who I'm meant to be with, I know where I want to go, so I'll go'."
She says the "Devil's Bridge" route Cain chose - a mix of roads, cycle paths and woodland - is one he is barely familiar with, only using it during summer bike rides with his dad, maintenance engineer Ross Trainor.
She said: "In a funny way, I'm actually quite proud that he managed to find his way home.
"We've talked to him about 'stranger danger' but I was surprised he went that way because we hardly ever go there. We've told him not go down there in case there are "mucky misters" around.
"When I got back from the school, the first thing he told me was 'I used the lollipop lady'. He even dropped in at the Sainsbury's shop to see if I was in there buying milk.
"But when he was cuddled into me that night, I couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking of what could have happened."
In a statement, Little Owls playgroup manager Kate Murphy expressed gratitude that Cain's family had been "entirely understanding of what happened" and that they continue to send Cain there.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11418974/Toddler-3-used-lollipop-lady-to-find-his-way-home.html

I am very thankful for this boy finding his way home, but one thing stands out for me which surprised me in this story.
Anyway else as to why?

Well there's no way Id send my child back to that terrible setting, that's for sure!

eddie wrote:Well there's no way Id send my child back to that terrible setting, that's for sure!

My view on this is for one he went into Sainsbury and spoke to the Lollipop lady.
Why in both situations did they not call the Police finding a 3 year old child on their own?

I did think that.

Forget the 'mucky misters', look out for the 'sucky sisters'! I wouldn't let those teachers near the boy again. They don't even have a system in place for looking after kids during changeover of students.

Lucky he's a pretty smart kid: 1) knew the route from just a bike ride; 2) knew where his mother shopped for milk; 3) smart enough to ask directions; and 4) got home by himself.