On the morning of September 11, 2001, daycare teacher Tara Jones was preparing for an ordinary Tuesday at the Children's Discovery Daycare Center in 5 World Trade Center. Parents were dropping off infants and toddlers while preschoolers settled into their classrooms.
The first indication of disaster was a strange noise overhead, initially mistaken for a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit. A parent looking through the windows, however, identified the approaching threat, shouting, "Oh my God. It’s not the AC unit. It’s a bomb."
Seconds later, at 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower. The exterior of the daycare dissolved into panic as smoke billowed and debris rained down. Jones and her fellow teachers' focus immediately shifted to the 28 children in their care, some too young to run and others unable to keep pace with fleeing adults.
Their planned evacuation route led towards Building 7. However, amidst the unfolding chaos, Jones made an on-the-spot decision to utilize a less-used maintenance route. This choice proved critical, as Building 7 would later collapse entirely that day. "I thought I was gonna die," Jones told the Daily Mail. "I thought we were all gonna just die."
Instructing the children, "It's an emergency. We have to go," Jones led them through the building. Some children initially believed it was another drill. The situation escalated when panicked parents rushed back, unable to exit the complex. Recalling a route used by maintenance workers, Jones guided the group toward a service door. They crawled with the children through a glass-lined area to avoid falling debris before emerging near the Borders bookstore.
Emerging from the building, Jones saw the massive hole in the North Tower. The daycare's director, Charlene Melville, found Jones's group and then returned to help evacuate infants with other teachers. However, the immediate challenge of escaping the immediate vicinity of the towers evolved into the daunting task of fleeing a disaster zone with young children.
Teachers carried children, and when classes mixed, staff simply picked up whoever was falling behind. Jones, at one point, used an abandoned double stroller to transport more children. During their escape, she refused an offer from a stranger to carry a child, stating, "No, lady. I can’t give you my babies."
While regrouping at a cemetery across the street, the second plane struck the South Tower. "That’s when we knew. That’s when we knew this was no accident, but an attack," Jones recalled.
The group fractured as people sought different escape routes. Some headed for City Hall, others for the pier. Jones's group made their way towards City Hall, encountering former financial director Deirdre Hogan, who was heading back toward the daycare to find her daughter. Hogan eventually reunited with her daughter, Alana, who had been reluctant to leave her painting.
As the South Tower collapsed, Hogan was caught in a stampede with two small children. She described swallowing vomit to avoid showing distress to the children. Jones's group eventually reached St. Clare's Hospital, where they received aid.
For many, the trauma left lasting effects. Jones herself moved away from New York to North Carolina to heal, though she continued teaching. She expressed regret for not returning to see the site of the daycare after the attacks. The children, now adults, have spoken of enduring therapy for years.
Reflecting on the events, former financial director Deirdre Hogan stated, "We definitely hired the right people. Despite being terrified themselves, they would have done anything for those kids." Mary De Voe, a parent, called the teachers "lovely heroes, total heroes, absolutely." Jones, however, maintained she was simply a teacher doing her job, focused on the outcome: "We got them out, and everyone was safe."
