(AP) — Authorities removed six children from a Lincoln home after police learned that an 8-year-old boy had been left in charge of his siblings.

The boy showed up at a youth center around 11 a.m. Tuesday and told an employee that he had stayed home from school to care for his sisters. They range in age from 2 to 6.

Officers called to the center said the boy reported that his 9-year-old brother had gone to school, leaving him in charge. Officers soon found the boys’ 6-year-old sister at their home watching the three younger girls.

Officer Katie Flood says the children’s mother was at work. The mother was later cited for child neglect.