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Video has emerged of the moments after two young children managed to escape a childcare centre, with the pair seen running and skipping down the footpath by themselves.
CCTV footage, obtained by Nine News, shows a little boy and girl gleefully making their way down St George’s Road in Fitzroy North just after 11am on Monday.
The girl, dressed in a purple top and pink pants, and the boy, wearing dark-coloured clothing, turn to look behind them as they pass strangers on the busy strip. Traffic on the road includes a tram, truck and multiple cars. Pedestrians on the street stop and turn when they see the pair run past.
The escapee pair, aged four and five, walked over a kilometre to one of the children’s homes after removing fencing from a playground garden at Isabel Henderson Kindergarten.
A concerned stranger followed the little girl and little boy as they walked down the busy road, said a woman with knowledge of the incident, but who asked not to be identified to protect the families’ privacy.
The good Samaritan directed another stranger to call the police and continued to track the children to one of their homes after the kids ignored her requests to stop.
The family of one of the children was home at the time and let them in to watch television while the centre and police were called. The kids reportedly sat down to KPop Demon Hunters, an animated musical fantasy film.
The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority was investigating the incident on Tuesday.
A spokesperson said the regulator would not hesitate to take strong action to protect children’s safety.
Kindergarten director Anna Tibb on Tuesday said the centre had launched an internal investigation into the matter and was working with the management committee and relevant authorities.
“This is really devastating for the families involved and for us,” Tibb said. “We are a very transparent and open organisation, and we take these things very seriously.”
The centre installed temporary fencing in a section of the kindergarten playground after it was discovered that the children had escaped by removing the brush fencing, an outdoor barrier made from tightly packed brush or branches.
In a letter to parents, Tibb said she would be speaking to the children about safety on Tuesday.
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