I Think My Daycare Is Haunted

I work in a daycare in West Chester, Ohio. The director of the daycare wants us to keep these things on the "down-low," because they are afraid that the parents will pull their children out of the daycare, but I am so interested in everything that has happened that I have to share.

The first odd thing I experienced while working at the daycare happened about a year ago. One Friday night a month, two employees work what we call "Parents Night Out." We work from 8-midnight, and usually have around 5 or less kids. Well, my co-worker at the time, Katie, and I put a movie on for the 2 kids we had that night. They both fell asleep before 11.

The room we were in was right next to the kitchen and there is a big open (glass free) window that connects the room to the kitchen. We both heard the sound of things falling in the kitchen, like utensils, or dishes or something. We both freaked out, because it was late, and no one else was there.

I decided to go into the kitchen, thinking, maybe something just fell over. However, there was nothing on the floor or on the counters. Everything was in place and put away.

I didn't really have anything happen after that night until this past April. I worked Parents Night Out again. This time, it was with my co-worker Sarah. We stayed in the same room as before. That night we had 5 children. One was a baby, and I told Sarah that I was going to go get a crib for him, since the baby room is on the other side of the building. I carried the baby along with me.

When I entered the baby room, all seemed normal. The cribs have wheels on them, so I went and grabbed one, and started wheeling it toward the door. Just as I was about to leave the room, one of baby swings started swinging. I breathed in really quickly, stopped in my tracks, and put my hand up to my mouth. I was so afraid. I didn't know what to do. Finally, I grabbed the crib and kept going. I clutched the baby to my body with my other arm, and about ran down the hall to the original room.

When I returned to the room, Sarah could see that I was shaking, and breathing heavily. I told her what happened, and we both decided to not leave the room again until the end of the night. When that time finally came, we left through the front door. Along the back of the side of the building are the playgrounds and two gates to separate them. I saw that both the gates were open, even though I know for a FACT that I had shut them before Sarah and I went into the building.

The following Monday, another co-worker, Amanda confirmed that she also had a similar experience while in the building for Parents Night Out. She looked at me and asked, "When did the swing start moving? Was it right as you were leaving?" I was stunned. It wasn't just my imagination.

I decided that I was never doing another Parents Night Out. I had never experienced anything creepy during the day, so I was never scared at work usually. However, this past month, the children have been seeing a lot of things. I work with toddlers around the age of two.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my kids was sitting on the potty. We have a bathroom inside of our classroom and its right next to the kitchen area. I was sweeping while she sat in the bathroom. I heard her strike up a conversation. Thinking another child was in there with her, I turn around and look. She is sitting on the toilet, chatting away, and staring up toward her left, as if someone were standing by the toilet. However, no one is there. I say, "Payton, who are you talking to?" She looks back to her left and says, "Someone," but never says more than that.

Last week, a boy in my class was lying on his cot during nap time. Sarah, the same co-worker I did Parents Night Out with, also teaches in this room with me. We were talking while the kids were settling down on their cots. We both stop at the same time and look over at Aidan. He has his arms stretched out, toward the bathroom, and he's saying, "Please come here. Please. Please come here..." We break his attention and ask who he is talking to. He only points toward the bathroom.

Yesterday, Payton (the same girl that was sitting on the potty) was lying on her cot toward the back of our room. I was sitting in a chair in the kitchen right next to the bathroom. I see Payton start waving. Thinking she is waving at me, I wave back. She keeps waving. I ask, "Payton, are you waving at me?" She shakes her head no.

Today is the last thing I'm going to write about. My co-worker Amanda claims that she was walking down the hall toward her room, which is the baby room. In that hallway, she passed our room, and then the room next to us. The room next to ours was vacant, because the children were napping in another room (some classes combine for nap). She was holding one of the babies, which also happened to be her child. She said that he looked into the vacant room, and started smiling. As they passed the doorway, he about jumped out of her arms, reaching for someone, although no one was there.

I'm afraid but very interested at the same time. I want to know if there truly is a haunting or if we are all just crazy and looking into everything too much.