A four-year-old girl in Taichung was left covered in bruises just three weeks after starting at a preschool, and the city government took two days to formally take up the case after her parents reported it — bad news for the victim's family and for other parents alike.

• The girl had been attending a preschool in Xitun District for only three weeks when she began breaking down emotionally and was unable to sleep after coming home; a medical examination found injuries in multiple places.
• Her parents discovered the injuries on Monday and called the 1999 hotline on Tuesday, but the Education Bureau did not confirm it had taken up the case until Thursday, drawing criticism that the delay compromised the preservation of evidence.
• The preschool said there were no surveillance cameras on site and described the incident as "improper use of force" while stopping the child from moving a chair, but the injuries do not match that account.
• The parents said several childcare staff were present at the time, yet no one intervened and no one reported it, raising questions of collective acquiescence.
• The childcare worker involved has been suspended from duty, and the girl has been transferred to another preschool.

Outlook: The Education Bureau's investigation team will compare the two sides' accounts, and the city council is likely to keep pressing Mayor Lu Shiow-yen's administration over how quickly it responded and its supervisory responsibility.