It’s hard enough leaving your child with a daycare provider to go to work. It’s even harder when the news is filled with horror stories of children who have been neglected or injured at daycare facilities. What can parents do to ensure they are choosing a safe and qualified daycare provider?
Although daycare negligence is a scary concept, it doesn’t usually “just happen”. There are clues that can indicate whether a facility is at risk of suffering a negligence-related injury. While there is no guarantee that a negligent situation won’t arise, daycare facilities that proactively work to limit risk are less likely to encounter such situations.
7 Criteria That Can Help Parents Gauge Daycare Negligence Risk
Here are a few things that reduce negligence risk in daycare facilities; parents should look for these criteria when selecting a daycare facility:
- Caregiver to child ratios. In general, lower ratios will result in better care; the more adults there are who are able to look after the children the better. The State of Florida does mandate adult to child ratios as part of daycare licensing. Legal ratios range from 1 adult for every 4 infants to 1 adult for every 25 children over the age of 5.
- State License. Large daycare centers must be registered with the State. This ensures regular inspections by state officials. Family daycare homes are not licensed or inspected by the State, though they do have to register with the State. Ask to see the appropriate credentials when interviewing daycare providers for your child.
- Easy access to first aid supplies. First aid supplies should be on-site and within easy reach of adults.
- Proper safety standards. Take a good look at the safety features that are in place at the site. Is the outside play area fenced in? Is the playground equipment in good repair with wood chips or sand underneath to minimize fall damage? Are outlets covered and dangerous chemicals locked away from children? Do they have protections in place to prevent children from “wandering” into areas they should not be or worse, getting out the front door alone?
- Adequate access to food and water. It’s incredible that parents even have to ask this question, but make sure the children have access to water throughout the day and have a set snack and meal schedule?
- Proper bathroom facilities. Again, this should go without saying, but make sure there are clean and functioning bathroom facilities at the site!
- Employee checks. Ask what protections are in place for hiring employees? Do they undergo a background check? Do they have policies that employees must sign that forbid all forms of physical, mental, emotional and/or sexual abuse? What kind of training do employees receive and how frequently?
Contact The Beregovich Law Firm With Daycare Negligence Questions
If you have concerns about your daycare facility or think your child may have suffered from daycare negligence, contact The Beregovich Law Firm. Our Florida daycare negligence attorney can help determine if the incident was a simple accident or if negligence may be at play.
Call (800) 631-9009 or email us to arrange a consultation to discuss your situation today.
