Sometimes, parents develop a sense that something is wrong without really knowing the specifics. In cases where this involves your child’s daycare facility, the stakes are obviously very high. Daycare facilities have a unique bond of trust with parents and children and, when that trust is violated, the consequences can be very dire. To ensure that you’re not the only one who suspects something is wrong, other parents are oftentimes a first source of information.
There may be cases when you’re not the only one that suspects that something is wrong at your daycare facility. In some cases, other parents will start to have the same suspicions. This is because abuse in daycare usually affects more than one child. There may be one particular child who is suffering the brunt of the abuse, but there will usually be others who are being made miserable as well. Talk to other parents and get their impressions of what’s going on at the facility.
Making a surprise visit is also a good way to check up on the situation. Daycare child abuse is oftentimes hard to catch if the staff knows you’re coming. Drop in early sometimes to pick up your child. Don’t call ahead. There should never be any reason that you are delayed in picking up your child by the facility. If the staff seems unpleasantly surprised at your arriving unscheduled, it’s not unreasonable to wonder why that might be the case.
Daycare abuse sometimes involves more than one staff member and these staff members may not be direct caregivers. Make sure you pay attention to everyone who works at the facility. The administrators should not only be very accommodating if you want to meet their staff members, but they should encourage it. A good facility thrives on creating a trust bond with parents.
If your child comes home with suspicious marks or if something obviously just isn’t right, don’t doubt your instincts. Reach out to other parents and have any suspicious marks examined by a doctor. The best way to deal with your suspicions is to confront them and to see if they’re justified. If you are the victim of an abusive facility, you can contact a lawyer to further explore your options. You may be able to file a lawsuit that could provide you with financial compensation for what you and your child have been put through.