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Glendale daycare under investigation after toddlers seen wandering in street

Police got 911 calls saying that toddlers were spotted in the street along Olive Avenue outside Happy Dayz Learning Center 3.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Several toddlers were seen wandering in the middle of a street after they apparently escaped from a Glendale daycare without supervision.

Police got 911 calls Monday morning reporting that six to eight toddlers were spotted in the street along Olive Avenue outside Happy Dayz Learning Center 3.

When officers arrived, the children were already taken back inside. Police found that as many as eight children, aged between 1 and 3 years old, apparently got out of an unsecured gate.

Several witnesses stopped and escorted the toddlers back inside the daycare with the help of a staff member, investigators said.

According to police, the gate was shut by one of the children as they left the building, and staff members couldn’t reopen it again. 

The Happy Dayz Learning Center staff members initially didn’t know the toddlers had escaped, according to witnesses.

Glendale police said no criminal charges have been filed against the daycare or staff members, but the center will be investigated by the Arizona Department of Health Services Child Care Facilities and Licensing.

12 News reached out to Happy Dayz Learning Center 3 and received no comment from an employee.

This is a developing story. Stay with 12 News for the latest updates.

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