Twenty-eight children and their teachers experienced the terror of 9/11 firsthand from within the Children's Discovery Daycare Center at 5 World Trade Center, ultimately escaping the unfolding disaster through a teacher's quick thinking and decisive action. Daycare teacher Tara Jones made a split-second decision to ignore the center's planned evacuation route toward Building 7, instead opting for a lesser-used maintenance passage. This choice proved critical, as Building 7 later collapsed that day.
Jones recalled the morning of September 11, 2001, beginning with ordinary concerns, like a malfunctioning air conditioning unit. The calm shattered around 8:46 a.m. when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Chaos erupted outside the daycare as people fled and debris began to fall. For Jones and her colleagues, the immediate priority became ensuring the safety of the 28 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in their care.
"I thought I was gonna die. I thought we were all gonna just die," Jones told the Daily Mail in an interview. Faced with panicked parents returning to the center and the planned evacuation route blocked, Jones remembered a maintenance passage used for trash removal. She quickly gathered the children, telling them it was an emergency drill.
The group navigated through the building, crawling with the children through a glass-lined area to avoid falling debris before emerging near a bookstore. After exiting 5 World Trade Center, they regrouped in a cemetery across the street, where they witnessed the second plane strike the South Tower. This confirmed their fears that the event was not an accident.
As the evacuation continued, teachers carried children who couldn't keep pace and utilized an abandoned double stroller to transport some of the younger ones. At one point, Jones refused to let a stranger take a child from her arms, emphasizing her responsibility to protect them. The group eventually fractured, with some heading towards City Hall and others towards the pier, using shopping carts for the youngest.
Meanwhile, parent Mary De Voe, who had dropped her daughter Alana at the daycare that morning, returned to find it empty and initially headed towards Building 7, the planned evacuation point. Upon realizing the children were not there and after the second plane hit, she panicked. She eventually found Alana with Tara's group and hurried to collect her other child.
Both Jones and De Voe described the harrowing experience of navigating the collapsing towers and the stampeding crowds. De Voe recounted having to suppress the urge to vomit in front of the children to maintain a strong facade. Jones's husband, unaware of their escape, had sent a pager message believing they were lost.
The daycare group eventually reached St. Clare's Hospital, where they received care and comfort. Children drew pictures depicting the events, with one four-year-old drawing a falling person. A father arriving at the hospital, covered in ash, was overcome with emotion upon finding his child.
While all 28 children were eventually reunited with their families, the trauma left lasting effects. Many former students required years of therapy, and Jones herself moved away from New York to cope with PTSD. She expressed regret for not being able to visit the site of the daycare afterward.
Reflecting on the events, Deirdre Hogan, the former financial director of the daycare, praised the staff's bravery, stating they were the "right people" who would do anything for the children. Mary De Voe called the teachers "lovely heroes." Jones, however, maintained she was simply a teacher fulfilling her duty, emphasizing that the ultimate measure of success was getting every child out safely.