While there are legal options if daycare abuse is committed by a facility that you take your children to, it’s best to be vigilant for it beforehand. There are definitely warning signs and not all of them have to do with detecting physical abuse. In fact, sometimes psychological abuse is just as devastating and very difficult to see. You have to take into account many different factors before you decide whether or not you have reason to suspect abuse; there is no one sign that means that abuse is definitely taking place.
Most often, watching your child’s behavior and psychological health are recommended. There are, however, some cases where you’ll want to keep an eye out for problems with the staff themselves. Here are a few things to look for.
Short Tempers
Be wary if you see a daycare worker who seems to have a short fuse. This impatience isn’t always exhibited by yelling, at least not in front of parents. Listen for a tone of voice that becomes sharp and condescending too easily or for signs that the worker is too much of an authoritarian for their own good. Chances are, they’re worse to the children, as abusers seldom want to try to push around their equals and generally pick on people who cannot defend themselves.
Sloppy Work
Professional daycare workers take a lot of pride in being organized and efficient. Sloppy work is a sign that someone really doesn’t care about what they do and that they may be negligent in those duties. If one of the workers always seems a few steps behind when you come to pick up your child, keep an eye on them. They may be negligent in that they ignore children or because they simply fail at their job more often than not.
If a daycare facility has proved to be abusive or neglectful, you may be able to file a daycare negligence claim with an attorney. There’s no way to guarantee that you’ll win, but negligence is something that daycare facilities should not be plagued with. The stakes are simply too high and, for parents, having a child in a facility that proves to be negligent can turn into a nightmare. Where outright abuse is concerned, filing a lawsuit after its ended is certainly an option and may enable you to receive enough compensation to cover your child’s pain, suffering and expenses.