A woman sees her child get slapped while driving away from a daycare and an abuse charge follows. A child being abused at a daycare is captured on tape, leading to charges. These are only two stories in the news recently that detail how parents are sometimes the first individuals to spot daycare abuse when it’s happening. Other parents who have children at the facility are sometimes your best resources if you suspect abuse.
Ask Questions
It’s usually not too hard to start up a conversation with another parent who uses the same daycare as you. If you suspect that abuse is going on, make an effort to do so. If you’re not totally comfortable implying anything, ask questions to see if the other parent suspects that something is amiss, too. Here are some questions that you may want to ask that aren’t too accusatory:
- Has your child come home with any injuries?
- Has your child said anything about the care here?
- Does your child seem to not want to be dropped off here?
These types of questions aren’t the equivalent of saying that you suspect abuse, but they’re good ways to open up the door to further conversations about the matter. You may find that, indeed, the other parent suspects that something is wrong with the facility. Sometimes, your saying something may actually open up the floodgates and that parent will turn out to have a lot on their mind regarding the facility.
Working Toward a Solution
Grouping with other parent to stop daycare abuse is oftentimes the best first step. Other parents may give you the courage you need to take action. You, of course, will not lack courage to protect your child, but you may feel hesitant to accuse someone of something so awful as abusing a child. That sometimes prevents people from taking actions that they should and a bit of encouragement from other parents may start the ball rolling.
You may all decide to contact the authorities and, sometimes, that is the most sensible course of action. You’ll also be giving each other emotional support, which is important if it turns out that there was abuse going on. It’s hard to face the fact that your child may have been abused but, if they were, it’s a lot easier when you have people who know what you’ve been through. If the daycare was negligent, you may want to talk to the other parents involved about filing a lawsuit.