Not all daycare abuse involves hitting or otherwise physically abusing children. In fact, some of the worst daycare abuse imaginable is neither physical nor sexual. Children can be psychologically abused at daycare facilities for a very long time before it becomes apparent that there is a problem. When you consider the situation that children are in, it’s easy to understand how this could end up going on for a long time.
Authority
The people who work at the daycare center are, to your children, authority figures. This means that, when those authority figures disparage, verbally abuse, tease, belittle and otherwise psychologically assault your child, your child probably thinks that they deserve it. For children, it’s hard to separate adults into different categories. All adults are authority figures. It’s hard for children to make the leap to judging that the actions of an adult, even though they are in authority, are clearly wrong. This means that the abuser could go on taking out their sadism on the children for many years, potentially.
Negligence
Usually, in the sort of perfect storm that surrounds any case of daycare abuse that goes on for a prolonged period of time, one or more of the staff members are abusive and the administration is negligent. This means that the abusers have free reign to get away with whatever abuse they want to visit upon the children and the administration will either look the other way or not even notice. When you add negligence to abuse, you get a very bad combination that can create a situation that is difficult to identify, much less remedy.
One of the best ways to make sure you’re aware of how your child is treated at daycare is to stop in at odd times. Instead of showing up at the same time every day, try dropping in earlier or later than usual. Make certain that you pay close attention to your child, as well. If they start exhibiting the signs of someone who seems like they are being picked on, it needs to be investigated. Whether it is one of their peers or staff members, bullying can be psychologically devastating and, if you don’t intervene, it is possible that your child may deal with effects that last their entire lifetime.
Contact a daycare child abuse law firm if you discover your child was the victim of abuse. They may be able to help you file a lawsuit for daycare negligence.