YMCA Fail

So I'm finally getting around to writing about this experience I had with YMCA after school care. This happened a week before Halloween, but I think I can finally write about it without getting fired up and angry all over again. Well here is the story about how the Y lost my 5 year old.

Let me start by giving a quick run down on how the Y works. Both my boys attend after school programs. Mikey attends the ASPIRE program which is a no cost enrichment program. Students have to be nominated for the program and it's a mix of Y counselors and teachers from his school. Joey goes to the Y after school program because ASPIRE isn't available for the kinder kids and he would need to be nominated. So I pay for the Y to watch Joey. Both programs are run on campus so the kids don't have to take a bus or be transferred to any other buildings. 

Ok, so this all happened on the Friday of the PTA Fall Festival. The festival was going take place after school, inside the cafeteria, library, and gym. Mike and I made plans to meet at the school after work so we can all participate. Now normally I'm the one who picks the boys up. Mike does the morning drop off, and I take care of the pick up. Team work. I also usually have my sister with me since we work together and carpool. Today, since I knew Mike was going to meet at the school, I actually went to Walgreens to pick up a prescription instead of going straight to the school. As I get to Walgreens I get a text from Mike letting me know he just got to the school. So I grab the prescription, jump in the car and start heading to the school with my sister. I'm waiting at a stop light near the school when my phone rings from a local unsaved number. I answer the phone and it's the assistant principal. He lets me know that he has Joey in the office with him and will keep him there till I pick him up. I thank him and let him know my husband is there and will grab him. I hang up and check what time Mike let me know he was at the school. 20 minutes had past between the text and the assistant principals call. That's when I got confused and started to realize something was wrong. I call Mike and tell him about the phone call. He thanks me, then hangs up on me. Not normal. Something's going on. 

So I rush to the school, park, and as my sister and I are reaching the front of the school, Mike and the boys walk out, and he tells me everything. He arrived to the school and all the after school kids had been moved outside to the smaller playground since the inside was being used by the PTA. He signs the kids out, locates Mikey, but Joey is no where to be found. He asked the director where he was, she scanned the playground, then gave him the LOOK. You know what LOOK. The "holy shit he's not here" LOOK. So Mike and the director freak out and start looking. The inside of the school was a MADHOUSE. The festival was in full swing and people were everywhere. The school was also fully open so the fear that he could have left was very real. They searched the library, gym, cafeteria, music room, hallways and could not find him. Just as he was about to call me and let me know, I called him and let him know the assistant principal called me. Short jog to the office later, Mike has both children. 

So we stayed at the festival, had a nice time, but it ate at me all weekend, so Monday morning I called the director of the program for the entire district and left her a voice mail. By 3pm I sent her an email. A not very nice email since I was pissed she didn't call me back sooner. She called me right after the email and did the great ass kissing tour of 2013 and I guess my relationship with Y is back to normal. In all honesty if I had other after school options, I would probably remove them from the Y and ASPIRE and go elsewhere but the Y dominates the market. I will be using other camps for winter and summer though.....