The signs of daycare negligence are not always obvious. For that reason, it is crucial for parents to learn what to look out for in their children. Daycare providers act negligently when they fail to provide a reasonable level of care and can be held legally responsible for their action or inaction. Being on the lookout for the following signs can help parents identify daycare negligence before it is too late.
Physical Marks
A child can get injured occasionally, even under a parent’s watch, as part of the growing process. Nevertheless, when he or she returns home with inexplicable or excessive marks, that is a sign of a problem. Frequent injuries caused by other children are a sign of negligence. When children are left unsupervised, they can intentionally or accidentally injure each other.
Daycare providers can also be negligent if they allow children to play around dangerous conditions like:
- Open fireplaces
- Old playground equipment
- Sharp edges
- An aggressive animal
These dangerous conditions can cause injuries.
Marks on the upper arms, wrists, back, abdomen, and other odd places on a child’s body could be an indication of abuse. This may result from the daycare provider being negligent in the hiring process.
Soiled Diapers and Diaper Rashes
Parents should take a child that always has a soiled diaper at pickup time as a red flag. Persistent diaper rashes should be equally worrying. Both of these could indicate daycare workers’ negligence regarding basic hygiene like diaper changes and bathroom breaks. A child who usually needs to go to the bathroom when being picked up from the daycare center could also indicate negligence.
Consistent Hunger or Thirst at Pickup
A negligent daycare provider may fail to provide children with food and water. Adults need to be attentive and exercise patience with children during mealtimes. Otherwise, the children may go hungry. A child that is always thirsty or hungry during pickup time may indicate negligence.
Weight loss and dehydration signs can help prove that a child is not receiving the nourishment that he or she needs during daycare hours.
Poor Housekeeping
Signs of daycare negligence do not always have to be detected through a child. Some warning signs can be spotted by visiting the facilities. For instance, a facility that is cluttered with small objects and office supplies indicates inadequate efforts to keep areas clean and orderly. Small items that can be swallowed can cause severe harm and death if left within children’s reach.
Parents should also look out for cleaning supplies that are left in places that children can reach. Children can suffer long-term injuries if they come into contact with or swallow these chemicals.
Understaffing
The adult supervisors at daycare facilities should be proportional to the number of children. Parents should be wary of daycare facilities that seem to have consistently few adult care providers. Inadequate staffing is likely to leave children more exposed to negligence.
Being observant is the key to detecting daycare neglect. Taking action against negligent daycare providers can save one’s child as well as countless other children from serious harm in the future.