Watson Williams Teacher Ashley Hayes Helps Reunite Lost Toddler With Family

Sixth-grade teacher Ashley Hayes is being recognized for her quick thinking when she sprang into action to save the life of a local toddler near her school, Watson Williams Elementary. What started as a normal day turned into an extraordinary one when fate put her in the right place at the right time. After asking a teacher to cover her classroom so she could quickly retrieve an item from her car, Hayes noticed something out of the ordinary: a small boy, no older than three years old, walking alone down Elm Street. Seeing the child unaccompanied near busy traffic on Memorial Parkway, Hayes ran to him and realized he was indeed lost.

Although the child spoke no English, Hayes comforted him with her warm demeanor and contacted school resource officer Dave Caruso, who was outside on the opposite side of the building. “If she wasn’t there, who knows what would have happened,” Caruso shared. He immediately contacted the Utica Police Department as Hayes brought the child into the building. After discovering the child spoke Arabic, Hayes connected him with Arabic-speaking students who helped communicate with him. Her calm, nonverbal reassurance helped comfort the frightened child, who clung to her as police worked to locate his family.

The toddler was eventually reunited with his mother, who lives near the school in Cornhill. Ashley Hayes is truly an unsung hero, who made a profound difference for the child and his family. The Utica City School District recognizes her for following her instincts and decisive response in such a critical moment.