A Denver girl experienced perhaps every 6-year-old’s nightmare for the first day of school Wednesday: she boarded the wrong bus after school.
Police checked parks, playgrounds, other school bus stops until the little girl in a pink dress and white sandals was found at about 6:45 p.m. about two miles from the Carson Elementary School at 5420 East First Ave. at Augustana Early Learning Center.
A day care center bus driver did not notice the new rider until the end of the route, since it was the first day of school, said police spokeswoman Vicki Ferrari.
“She was a quiet little girl and just sat and didn’t say anything,” Ferrari said.
Michael Vaughn, a spokesman for Denver Public Schools, said the bus and after-school daycare center are not affiliated with the school district.
“The child was safe and supervised the entire time,” he said of the daycare bus driver and other staff.
When daycare center staff realized the mistake, they contacted police, who picked up the girl and returned her to her family.
“Principal, family and school staff are working together to get the right after-school transportation plan in place,” Vaughn said.
