Top Five Warning Signs of a Negligent Daycare
Daycare can be a positive experience for both parents and children. Even if you’re a stay-at-home mom, placing your child in daycare once or twice a week can provide you with time to relax or catch up on chores. Spending time with other children can also offer your child invaluable social stimulation and ensure that they are a well-adjusted, happy kid once school time comes.
However, not every daycare provides high-quality care. Worse, few federal regulations require childcare centers to report injuries or fatalities, so there is no clear record of how many children are seriously harmed. Everything is at the state level, and states do not all provide the same statistics. It is up to parents to identify the warning signs and take action for their children. When checking out a new daycare center, pay close attention to these warning signs so that you can keep your little ones safe.
1. Inadequate Supervision
Every anxious parent knows that it takes only a few seconds for a toddler to seriously injure themselves by touching something they shouldn’t, and this just gets worse when there are multiple children in a daycare center. Any good childcare facility will have plentiful staff on hand to supervise every child.
A good staff ratio varies based on the developmental needs of the children under their care. It should be 1:3 for children under 12 months, 1:6 for children between 12 and 24 months, and 1:10 for preschoolers. Any less than this, and there’s a high potential for injury or death.
2. Unsanitary Conditions
A good daycare facility is clean, organized, and well-maintained. Biohazards, including diapers and soiled clothing, should be safely disposed of, and all toys should be developmentally appropriate to avoid choking hazards. Cleaning chemicals must be kept away from children at all times, and any food spills or other messes should be cleaned up immediately.
When you visit the daycare, make sure it looks orderly and hygienic. Check that everything has appropriate child safety locks and ask about their safety protocols.
3. Unexplained Injuries or Signs of Neglect
Bumps and bruises do happen, especially for toddlers and more mobile children, but the facility should be able to explain what happened and, ideally, call you as soon as possible. If your child regularly comes back with mysterious marks, especially ones that look like hand shapes or pinch marks, then this is a serious concern that should be investigated immediately.
You should also pay close attention if you notice your child seems extremely hungry or thirsty after arriving home. This may mean that they weren’t given appropriate food and water during the day. Another warning sign is frequent diaper rash, which could suggest that they’re not being changed regularly during the day.
4. Behavioral Changes
While not every child enjoys daycare at first, many come to love the friends they make and the positive interactions with caring staff. However, if your child still has not adjusted to daycare after a few weeks or throws tantrums when you drop them off, this is a sign that they may be mistreated at the facility.
You should also monitor their mood when they return home. If they seem overly sleepy, anxious, or withdrawn, this can indicate that they are not receiving appropriate care.
5. Aggressive or Inattentive Staff
It’s not always possible to see daycare staff in the course of their duties; even the most neglectful or abusive staff members will put on a happy face when parents arrive so that they believe nothing is wrong. However, if you do see any signs of aggressive or neglectful behavior, pay close attention. Don’t discount your intuition when it comes to sensing something may be wrong with a particular staff member or with a facility as a whole.
What to Do if Your Child Is Harmed at a Daycare Center
If you suspect that your little one has been harmed at a daycare center, you should first take them to the hospital for a full examination, then call the police to report child abuse. After this, you should contact a personal injury lawyer who can help you determine your next steps.
It’s crucial that you contact an attorney that is in the same area as the daycare center rather than one that is closest to your home.
As an example, if you live in Hammond, Indiana, but drop your child off at a Chicago daycare near your work, you will need a daycare injury lawyer in Chicago. While many personal injury attorneys may be able to work in both Indiana and Illinois, an attorney who is highly familiar with the Cook County court system will be better able to serve you in this case.
An attorney will be able to negotiate with the daycare’s insurance agency to gain compensation for the damages suffered by you and your family. This is a civil case rather than a criminal one, but it’s also possible to pursue criminal child abuse charges against negligent staff in a separate case.
Most importantly, don’t blame yourself and work on recovering together with your family system. You and your loved ones may need therapy after the event to help recover from the harm done, but with hope and optimism, you and your little one can heal and move forward after a negligent daycare experience.
