Daycare abuse makes the headlines all the time. In some cases, it’s because children were physically abused at a daycare center and the center ended up being shut down. In other cases, it’s because abuse in daycare is an ongoing problem at a facility that is never really addressed by the owners and it becomes remarkable for the amount of callous cover-ups and other actions the facility takes. Some facts about daycare abuse may surprise you.
Small Facilities are not Safer
Some people take their children to facilities that are run by family, friends or a neighbor who takes in children as part of a cottage industry. Oftentimes, they do so because they assume their children are safer at these facilities where they know the operator very well. This is not at all the case. An unlicensed facility is just as likely, sometimes more likely, to be guilty of daycare negligence.
Experienced Employees aren’t Automatically Better
Where daycare workers are concerned, it’s not experience that you should be most concerned with; it’s licensing. Someone who raised a large family is not necessarily qualified to look after the children of others. In a daycare, the children all have different needs and there is a completely different dynamic between the adults and children than there is in a home. To make sure that you’re dealing with a competent facility, make sure that their employees are licensed and trained, not just experienced at child rearing.
Bigger isn’t Always Bad
Some larger facilities are actually quite good. When you consider the reasons for this, it’s fairly easy to see why. If there is one bad employee at a facility full of good employees, that bad employee would seem more likely to be noticed for their incompetence or negligence. Some children love a very social environment and having more children for them to play with is sometimes a pleasant experience.
When you believe a daycare facility has been negligent, make sure that you talk to an attorney after the children have been taken out of harm’s way. A good attorney may be able to win compensation for what your family has been put through and may be able to get a settlement out of the daycare provider, if they feel that they’d lose in court. A contingency agreement usually comes with a free consultation, so you can take them up on that offer and see what they think about your case.