Professional daycare facilities are subject to very strict licensing requirements for employees and very strict regulations as far as hygiene, facility size and other areas of caregiving and facility design. A woman in the North Chisago Lakes Township in Minnesota has now been charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the death of a child who was one of her clients at an unlicensed daycare facility she allegedly ran. Parents who are considering taking the children to an unlicensed facility should think twice.
The Dangers
The woman in the Minnesota case had already been warned about operating an unlicensed facility according to a report on StarTribune.com. She allegedly continued to operate the facility, nonetheless, and has been charged in the death of an eight-month-old girl. The girl did not die at the facility; she died in the hospital after having suffered a head injury. The head injuries alleged to have occurred at the daycare. The daycare operator intends to plead not guilty to the charge, according to the article.
In this case, the woman under investigation had five children under her care at the time the eight-month-old died, according to the article. She also claimed to have 20 years of experience watching children. Having experience watching children is much different thing than having proper training and licensing as a daycare worker. The licensing requirements for daycare workers are very detailed and very specific and, in addition to that, there are other things that parents benefit from when working with a licensed facility.
Background and Supervision
When someone is operating a daycare facility out of their own home, it’s likely that they and, possibly, their spouse are the only people in charge of the children. This means that there are no third parties involved in providing the care and, of course, that means there’s less supervision. The elements of teamwork and mutual support that daycare providers foster in their employees are very important to providing children with effective and compassionate care. Unlicensed facilities are always a big risk and, because there is little supervision, the children are at much greater risk of being abused.
A good daycare abuse lawyer can take a look at any situation that involves an abusive daycare and will know whether or not you have an option to sue that daycare for negligence if your child is abused. Daycare child abuse in unlicensed facilities is something that you should still speak with an attorney about.