To the Editor,

Last year, a close friend of ours experienced every parent’s worst nightmare. His young son was forgotten in a vehicle on the way to daycare — while our friend’s office sat literally next door.

Like many in our community, we followed the story with shock and heartbreak. We told ourselves it was an unimaginable tragedy. Something that could never happen to us.

But over the months that followed, one thought kept coming back to us.

The tragedy wasn’t that nobody cared.

The tragedy was that nobody knew.

His son was expected at daycare that morning. Yet nobody ever had to confirm he actually made it inside.

Everyone assumed. But nobody knew.

And there is a big difference between the two.

We assume the child was dropped off. The daycare assumes the child isn’t coming. The driver assumes the child was brought inside.

Good people doing their best can all make the same assumption at the same time.

Our friend once shared a thought with us that we haven’t been able to forget:

“If someone had known my son wasn’t in daycare that morning, my son would still be here today.”

Not if someone cared more. Not if someone tried harder. Simply if someone knew.

In his memory, and in the hope that another family never has to experience the pain that his family lives with every day, we have decided to partner with Kido and provide their check-in terminals to Lakewood daycares — for free.

We know cost can be a reason daycares hold back. So we wanted to take that off the table.

If it helps prevent even one tragedy, it will be worth it. To date, this system has already helped save five lives.

May his precious Neshama continue to be a source of protection and inspiration for our community, and may we only share besuros tovos.

Sincerely,
Elazar and Rachel Brody

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