My son ran away from Kindergarden

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
My 5.5 year old son ran away two times from the kindergarden and cross the busy tram road to the kita. The kindergarden children blame it is all our fault that he ran away with a kindergarden friend during kindergarden time. Yes, i talked my son many times, but he forgot that he promised he will not do that again. But is'nt it the teacher's responsibility to keep the children safe? What can i do?

2
Does he have a learning difficulty ? Autism ? Hyperactivity ? Impulse control issues ?

I would not accept that he 'forgot' that he was not supposed to do that. I hope you got very very very cross with him that he did that. He is old enough to know the rules.

Does he walk to/from school every day ?

Why did he go to the Kita ? What was his 'incentive' from the child's point of view ? Is it fun ? Did he go to Kita to play ? Does he go to Kita at other times of the day ?

3
Something a bit similar happened with our son when he first started Kindergarten. He ran home around 10:00 am without telling anyone there (thankfully, I was home at the time). He was feeling really overwhelmed and frightened and was in tears during his first week there.

So I guess that in your situation, I would try to find out if maybe something has been happening at the Kindergarten to cause him to run away (for example, maybe another child bullying him?).

I noticed that a couple years after our son left the Kindergarten, they finally put up a fence around it, with a locked gate so that the kids couldn't "escape" (and perhaps also so that no one could easily come in). I do think it's the Kindergarten's responsibility to ensure that the children feel comfortable there and do not leave or cannot leave easily, to whatever extent possible. The kids are their responsibility while they are there.

4
Just to be certain. Is it the kindergarten staff blaming you, or the children?

5
My son did the same, not on a road fbut went in a field. My dad went to retrieve him as the teacher was overwhelmed and described it as such a happy scene - my son was very unhappy in KG as his teacher was not very good at all and he just went and was running around happy.

(Not saying this is good behaviour but at that age, they have primal insticts and if they are not well they are bound to follow them)

So like Pancakes I would encourage you to understand what is at the root of the behaviour happening.

Stay strong - this too shall pass.

6
It would be pity if it starts happening in all KiGas. One of the reasons why I came to Switzerland is that it's so safe that the fences in many places are not needed, not to mention locks. If they fence all KiGas, Switzerland will loose a part of it's identity and uniqueness.

7
It’s a bit unclear to me, you start out saying your son ran away and later you he ran away with a friend, so which is it.

Of course it is the teachers responsibility to safeguard the children in their care. But normally 5.5 year olds don’t need monitoring to ensure they stay put. They are usually so involved in their day that it is not something that would suggest itself to them.

So you definitely need to figure out what is going on.