Daycare abuse happens. Statistically speaking, it’s hard to imagine it not happening.
FOX News quoted some startling statistics from the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. First off, we learn that there 63 percent of the nation’s children under the age of five are in daycare every week. However, studies showed that only 10 states out of 50 require unannounced inspections of child-care centers, while only 12 states required caregivers working in child-care centers to have any formal training. That means that anything could be going on, particularly mental/emotional abuse at the daycare, since there are no physical symptoms to look for in these cases.
While the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that many daycares educate their workers to look for signs of child abuse, and many more have screening processes that disqualify sex offenders or ex-convicts from such an important job, these precautions obviously don’t stop every occurrence of daycare abuse or daycare neglect. Caregivers may become easily frustrated and lash out in anger or abusive language. They may be overworked. They may be unqualified for their job. They may even have serious personality disorders which cause them to lash out. HelpGuide.com, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people overcome physical or mental problems, published an article on how to recognize signs of abuse, particularly mental or emotional abuse.
Before relating the signs to look for they reminded readers of a sobering statistic: over 900,000 children are abused or neglected in daycare centers each year. The organization told parents to look for behavioral changes when suspecting mental/emotional abuse at a daycare, because just as with physical abuse, signs of injury will start to appear. These symptoms will be subtle, so you do have to be pay attention to detail. The child may display fear of going to the daycare center or may start shying away from all signs of touching in general. He may also start wearing clothing that is inappropriate for the weather. Other symptoms to watch out for include excessive worrying that she is doing something wrong and going to extremes either in aggression or antisocial behavior.
What should you do if you suspect your child is the victim of daycare abuse or daycare neglect? First and foremost, put your child’s welfare first. If you fear that she is being emotionally or verbally abused, then pull the child out of the daycare center. You can also talk to your daughter and ask for details regarding any recent incidents that were uncomfortable or scary. Remember to keep balanced. A teacher or daycare caregiver scolding a child in a professional manner is not daycare abuse. However, if a caregiver shows persistent and extreme incidents of mental/emotional abuse at a daycare (like rage fits or derogatory remarks) then it does qualify as a form of emotional/mental assault on your child. Once your child is safe you may want to think about taking the daycare center and or the caregiver to court. You may be entitled to damages for the child’s pain and suffering as well as therapy bills, should he become traumatized by the violent behavior.
Contact the Rasansky Law Firm now (1-877-403-9378) and talk to an experienced attorney about your case.