There is a huge problem occurring throughout the United States concerning abuse in daycare centers. It’s enough to make many parents leery of sending their children to daycare in spite of the fact there is a necessity today for two income families.
Recent news story out of Indiana.
State officials in Indiana recently filed a cease-and-desist order to shut down an unlicensed daycare in the Eastside area of Indianapolis after they received reports of four children who had to be hospitalized because of suspicion of drug overdoses. Police arrested the operator of the facility on charges of neglect of a dependent—one charge for each of the children involved. The facility is unlicensed, and the 37-year-old woman operates it out of her home.
Apparently Indiana state officials have been making attempts to shut the woman down for years, and she has received numerous citations that date back to 2008. Reports indicate she has operated illegal daycares at various locations according to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Even an injunction filed by the Indiana Attorney General’s office in 2012 did not stop the woman from opening another center at another location. Marion Superior Court forced the woman to close the daycare in November 2012 because she had repeatedly violated Indiana code.
According to state officials, police reports indicated the daycare operator had been operating an illegal daycare at the time of the suspected overdoses. State law limits the number of unrelated children in a daycare to five before being required to get a license; she had more than that number at the time. The four children who went to the hospital were from three different families according to police records. There were two five-year-olds, a two-year-old, and an 11-month-old. Three children were girls and one a five-year-old boy.
There was no information in the police report to indicate the conditions of the children or how the overdoses occurred. There is also no information about the substance that was used.
The growing problem.
The problem of abuse in daycare centers is not limited to one area. It occurs throughout the United States and in other countries as well. The biggest problem is with unlicensed day care centers that were not as closely monitored by the states. These kinds of incidents are all too common in unlicensed centers. While this incident occurred in Indiana, it happens just as frequently in Texas. In order to reduce these unfortunate occurrences, it is necessary to think about changing the laws surrounding the monitoring of daycare centers.
If you believe your child has suffered from abuse in daycare, contact our office for legal advice. You can reach us by calling 1-877-403-9378.