Daycares have become a fast-growing business in the last couple of years, many of them being operated from home because it requires less to start up. If you are considering having your child at a home-based daycare make sure they are licensed and know how to take care of your specific child’s age group. A four-month old and a three-year-old will not be taken care of in the same manner.
According to the Minimum Standards For Child-Care Homes Licensing Division at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, a caregiver must have some type of education on childcare development. The highest form of education is “a bachelor’s degree with twelve college credit hours in child development and three college credits hours in management,” and a minimum of one year of experience at a licensed daycare, whether it’s a center or home. The lowest form of education an at-home caregiver can have is “seventy-two clock hours of training in child development and 30 clock hours in management,” followed by “at least three years of experience in a licensed child-care center or registered child-care home.” With that being said, there is no reason for a caregiver to commit a deadly “mistake” when taking care of a child.
Continue reading to see what simple mistake caused the death of an infant.
What Happened at This Odessa, Texas Daycare?
A parent’s worst nightmare became a reality when they found out their four-month-old died under the care of an at-home caregiver. The worst part is that this incident could have been avoided had the caregiver paid a little more attention to the infant. Infants are a lot to handle on their own. But the caregiver wasn't only watching the infant - she was watching seven other children.
Additionally, the caregiver did not follow proper sleeping practices. She placed the infant on his stomach while sleeping, which turned out to be fatal. Lorlee’s Daycare owner would have had to take courses in child development to have her business open.
Where Did the Caregiver Go Wrong?
The cause of death of four-month-old, J.G., was being put on his stomach to go to sleep. Something so simple that if the caregiver would have paid a little more attention to J.G. he would still be alive.
This leaves us with multiple questions:
- Did she lay him on his stomach not knowing it would result in death?
- Where was J.G. sleeping for the caregiver to not notice he was on his stomach?
- Was there a baby monitor in the crib?
- Was the crib located in a different room away from the kids?
Lorlee’s Daycare in Odessa, TX was opened and licensed in 2001. The TDFPS had conducted six inspections in a time frame of two years as well as getting 18 “deficiencies”. The “deficiencies” included failure to report an injury to the licensing agency as well as paperwork issues. The last inspection had taken place months before the business closed. This daycare closed it’s door shortly after the death of J.G., and the business owner turned herself in on the charges of criminal negligent homicide.
What Can Be Done About It?
If you are considering putting your child in an at-home daycare, make sure you get as much information as you can before making your decision. This would include how much education in child development the caregiver has received and how many years of experience they have. How many children will be in attendance while your child is present. Most importantly make sure you feel comfortable with that information.
What Can The Button Law Firm Do To Help?
If your child was hurt while attending daycare in Midland/Odessa or anywhere in West Texas, please give us a call at 432-203-0060. You can also fill out our contact us form by clicking here. Our daycare negligence team can guide you in the right direction. We are here to help!
