In a heartbreaking case, Oliver Steeper died after choking on food while at City Way Nursery in 2021. His tragic death has raised some very pertinent issues surrounding nursery safety. The young boy’s death, only six days after he choked, was ruled as misadventure by an inquest. In the wake of the tragic incident, Oliver’s parents, Lewis and Zoe Steeper, sought justice. They reached a six-figure settlement with the nursery, which contained no admission of liability.
City Way Nursery shuttered soon after Oliver’s tragic death. Since then, Lewis and longtime safety activist Zoe Steeper have been making the rounds to raise awareness and change safety protocols in hopes of preventing similar tragedies. They have taken ownership of the new techniques brought in by the nursery. Now fully accredited with Millie’s Mark, the nursery is fitted with anti-choking devices called LifeVacs.
As NaTCH’s Lewis Steeper articulated on our panel, these advances are fundamental. It is just everything to have changes enacted, he said. His wife, Zoe Steeper, echoed this sentiment, stating, “It really touches at your heart strings.” Their advocacy has led to distribution of more than 1,450 LifeVac devices through the Oliver Steeper Foundation. This effort underscores their firm commitment to enhancing child protection in nurseries.
Catherine Weller, manager at City Way Nursery, explained how safety measures are vital for childcare environments. It’s incumbent upon parents to be asking a lot of questions about what the safety protocols are before enrolling their kids in a program. “If everything that should be in place is there, then you can feel more confident about leaving your little one in that setting,” she stated.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, stressed the need for continued progress on nursery standards. As a final thought, he re-emphasized that “we should always be seeking to introspect, we should always be seeking to get better.” This sentiment hits close to home for a lot of people in the childcare industry that are trying to provide safer spaces for children.
“As society evolves and awareness increases, the Steeper family’s efforts serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of vigilance in child safety.” “No child should ever have to die to make changes but unfortunately I think that is the way everything seems to happen in the world,” Lewis Steeper lamented.
