One-year-old girl gets 12 stitches after fall at preschool, mother claims injury was downplayed

SINGAPORE: A one-year-old girl had to undergo surgery and receive 12 stitches on her tongue after a fall at a preschool in Ang Mo Kio, an incident her mother says was initially downplayed by the school. The child, Lisa, was enrolled at Little Footprints Preschool’s branch at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5. Her mother, 35-year-old Renny Izzatie, shared the story on Instagram on 16 July, expressing frustration over how the situation was handled. The incident occurred on 3 July, when Renny received a call from her daughter’s teacher at around 12.43pm. She was told that Lisa had fallen while playing alone and bitten her tongue. According to the teacher, the child had fallen on her bottom, resulting in a tongue injury. Although there had been “a lot of crying and significant bleeding”, the teacher said the bleeding had subsided and Lisa had fallen asleep. “The teacher suggested I take Lisa home to monitor her condition. Based on that, I assumed it wasn’t serious,” Renny said. When Renny arrived around 2pm to pick her up, the teacher apologised, and Lisa appeared calm. However, in the car, while trying to inspect Lisa’s mouth to update her husband, Renny was shocked by the severity of the injury. “The so-called ‘minor injury’ turned out to be very serious,” she said. “Lisa kept pointing to her tongue and saying: ‘Mama, pain’. She was drooling, and there was blood in her saliva.” Renny immediately took her daughter to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where Lisa underwent a minor operation under general anaesthesia. Doctors stitched her tongue with 12 sutures, and she was discharged the following day. “Seeing her small body on the table just broke me,” Renny wrote in her Instagram stories. Lisa is now recovering at home, but Renny remains concerned about potential long-term effects on her daughter’s speech and tongue movement.

Parents Denied Access to CCTV Footage

Following the incident, the parents requested to view CCTV footage from the preschool to better understand how Lisa sustained such a serious injury. However, the school denied the request, citing company policy. In a meeting with the school’s management, Renny said staff were unable to clearly explain how the fall occurred. “They couldn’t answer whether she had anything in her mouth, or if there were sharp objects nearby,” she said. “They just kept repeating that they couldn’t show the CCTV footage.” Renny said the footage is crucial to understanding what happened and why the injury was so deep. “Without it, we’re left imagining all sorts of scenarios,” she added. She later said the school had submitted the footage to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

Police Report Filed

While Renny said she does not blame the school for the fall itself, acknowledging that accidents can happen, she was upset about the way the situation was handled. “They are not medical professionals, so it’s not up to them to decide what’s serious and what’s not,” she said. “What upset me was that they downplayed the situation. They didn’t even mention how big or deep the cut was.” Renny and her husband subsequently filed a police report. “We want the matter to be taken seriously and to prevent this from happening to other children,” she said. The police confirmed that a report was filed and investigations are ongoing. The family has also hired a lawyer to explore potential legal action. “If Lisa develops any long-term issues from this injury, we want to ensure the preschool is held responsible for covering all related medical costs.” She added that she hopes the incident serves as a reminder to preschools not to underestimate the severity of injuries in young children.

ECDA Investigating

In response to media queries, the ECDA confirmed that it had received a report on 7 July and launched an investigation. “The safety of our children is paramount,” an ECDA spokesperson said. “If the investigation reveals any irregularities, appropriate action will be taken against the school or staff.” The preschool’s parent company, Babilou Family Singapore, said it is cooperating fully with the ongoing investigations. While declining to provide further comment, a spokesperson confirmed that the school had reached out to the family and expressed relief that the child was recovering.

Child Withdrawn from Preschool

Still reeling from the incident, Renny has withdrawn Lisa from the preschool and enrolled her in another school. “The school neither informed me of the full extent of her injury nor sent her to the hospital,” she said. “They clearly did not take it seriously.” She added that she had formally notified the school of the withdrawal via email.