Overview

• The Department of Children and Families, Office of Early Childhood and New Britain Police Department launched a joint investigation into the timeline and notification protocols of the July 29 choking incident.
• YWCA staff administered age-appropriate first aid and placed the 911 call at 11:44 a.m., but the child was pronounced dead at the hospital later that day despite CPR and intubation efforts.
• Shamyra Cooke, who lives minutes from the center and works in a hospital, alleges staff delayed notifying her and that she could have performed the Heimlich maneuver.
• YWCA New Britain has suspended childcare services, made grief counseling available to families, children and staff, and is cooperating with all investigating agencies.
• The child’s family and their attorneys are pursuing legal inquiries into potential breaches of Connecticut regulations requiring immediate emergency calls and parent contact.