As parents, we want to protect our children from all harm. We put our trust in daycare providers and hope that our trust is not misplaced. Then, one day, your child comes home from daycare with an injury. You worry if this a sign of daycare abuse. Injuries are common among children, but how can you know what is a normal injury versus an abusive injury?
While nobody likes to think of the prospect of their child being injured, especially while in the care of another, it is something that can happen very easily. Sometimes, it can’t even be prevented. Yet, many times, the injuries are preventable, and they may even be a sign of abuse. This post will look at the most common injuries that children experience in day care, the indications that it might be abuse, and things that you can do to make sure you’re choosing the best day care for your children.
The Most Common Injuries Sustained in Day Care Facilities
The most common injuries that children sustain in day care facilities are mostly minor. They include minor scrapes and bruises, being bitten or hit by another child, sprains and twisted ankles, and even broken bones. It almost impossible to avoid all of these injuries. Every child will get the occasional scrape or bruise, and you can’t always stop other children from causing harm, either.
Even broken bones can happen in the space of a few moments. Children tend to be clumsy, so the scrapes and bruises might not mean anything serious. To get a better idea of whether or not you should be concerned, look for any patterns, shapes, or repeated or more severe issues.
When it comes to being bitten or hit by other children, you should pay attention to the response of the day care facility and the size of the wound. You can generally tell that a bite wound is from another child by the size of the bite. You can also talk to your child about the incident to learn more.
When children break bones, you have to look at the circumstances, as this should be made clear by the day care facility. Was the child playing a sport? Did the child fall? How did the facility respond? Did they call an ambulance and notify you right away? Make sure that your child has an opportunity to talk to you about the event when the day care providers are not present. Finally, twisted ankles and sprains are very common and unlikely to be indicative of abuse or neglect.
Regardless of how the injury occurred, if it is severe enough to require medical treatment, you may want to discuss your options with a Georgia personal injury attorney. Call Bader Scott Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation and find out if you have a valid personal injury claim.
For a free legal consultation, call (404) 888-8888
Indications of Child Abuse in Day Care Facilities
The injuries that we’ve already discussed are very common and are those least likely to indicate child abuse in a day care facility. We don’t even want to imagine that such a thing could happen. Yet, it could happen, it does happen, and it is up to the parents to keep an eye out for the signs that it is happening. The strong aversion that you naturally have to imagining your child in such a situation is no reason to not pay attention and be made aware if your child is being harmed.
While those previously mentioned common day care injuries are unlikely to indicate abuse, they could be an indication that abuse or neglect is occurring if they become a frequent occurrence. Some of the more alarming injuries that may indicate abuse are things like obvious welts, repeated bruising, and even burns.
The day care provider may give a plausible explanation, but when something like a burn or welt happens more than once, you know that something is wrong. Even bruises should not be frequent. You can also learn more by talking to different care providers in the day care facility to see if their stories are the same or if there are suspicious differences.
You should also pay attention to your child’s behavior. Talk to your child frequently about their day, but don’t assume that they will tell you if anything is wrong. Children don’t always know how to explain when something is wrong in their lives, but their behavior could be an indicator. The child might become less talkative and more withdrawn, or they might regress in their behavior and act more emotional.
Beyond this, it is important to be aware if your child suddenly doesn’t want to go to day care anymore. This could just be a normal issue where the child misses you or is bored of going to day care. There could be all sorts of reasons for this, but it is also an indication of abuse, especially if other signs are also present. You might notice that your child acts more fearful of the day care or is especially fearful with one of the adults at the day care. They may even tell you who they are afraid of or describe a monster that sounds suspiciously like one of their day care providers.
If any of these signs are present, you should look further into the day care, the care providers, and your child’s feelings and reactions to those providers. Be careful when you communicate with your child, because you don’t want to give them the idea that they are being abused or that they might be, if nothing is actually wrong. You could create a situation that isn’t necessary, where your child is suddenly fearful of going to day care because you’ve suggested that something bad could happen there.
Having said that, if you think that your child is being neglected or abused, you should talk to your child’s doctor, and call a personal injury attorney to further discuss and investigate the situation.
Tips For Choosing a Safe Day Care For Your Child
When it comes to choosing the safest day care facility for your child, you’ll want to consider your child’s unique needs and requirements, and the ability of any facility to provide for those needs. You should also ask any day care that you consider about how they handle discipline and what their policies are concerning supervision and how many adults are present at all times. Ask them about what they feed the children, and let them know of any allergy concerns – make sure those will be addressed.
You can also double check the day care program’s credentials. Are they certified? Does their staff receive any kind of special training. Then, talk to the staff, and pay attention to their attitudes and how they talk about children. Do they seem to enjoy children? Do they seem too severe?
In any event, if your child experiences a personal injury while in the care of a day care facility, you may have a personal injury claim. Call the dedicated Georgia personal injury claim attorney at Bader Scott Injury Lawyers to learn more.
Call or text (404) 888-8888 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
