What Happens If a Daycare Forges a Parent’s Signature on an Incident Report?

The Short Answer:

If a daycare forges a parent’s signature on an incident report, it raises serious concerns about honesty, documentation, and what the daycare may be trying to hide. Parents should save the report, document what happened, ask questions in writing, and consider reporting the issue to the state agency that regulates daycares.

Why Incident Reports Matter After a Daycare Injury

When your child is hurt at daycare, the incident report is supposed to explain what happened. It should document where the injury occurred, when it happened, who was supervising, what staff observed, how the daycare responded, and when the parent was notified.

That report often becomes one of the first written records of the incident. Parents, doctors, investigators, and attorneys may all look at it when trying to understand how a child was injured and whether the daycare responded appropriately.

That is why accuracy matters.

If a report is incomplete, changed, or signed with a parent’s name without permission, it can make it harder to understand what really happened. It can also raise questions about whether the daycare is being honest with the family.

Why Would a Daycare Forge a Parent’s Signature?

There is no acceptable reason for a daycare to sign a parent’s name without permission.

A forged signature may be used to make it look like a parent received the report, was notified about the injury, or accepted the daycare’s version of events. In other situations, staff may be trying to close out paperwork, avoid questions from management, or cover up a delay in telling the parent what happened.

The bigger concern is this: if the daycare was willing to falsify a parent’s signature, what else in the report may not be accurate?

Common Injuries That May Lead to an Incident Report

Daycare incident reports may be created after many different types of child injuries. Some injuries are minor, but others may require immediate medical care or further investigation.

Common injuries that may appear in incident reports include:

• Traumatic brain injuries or concussions
• Broken bones or serious falls
• Burns, choking incidents, or finger amputations

If the injury is serious, unexplained, or does not match the daycare’s story, the incident report becomes even more important.

What a Forged Signature Can Mean for Your Family

A forged signature can be a sign that the daycare’s paperwork cannot be trusted.

If a daycare signs a parent’s name without permission, it raises serious questions about the accuracy of the incident report and whether the daycare was honest about how it handled your child’s injury.

It may raise questions about whether the daycare notified you when it claimed to, whether the staff accurately documented the incident, whether the report was later changed, or whether the daycare was trying to protect itself rather than be honest with your family.

In daycare injury cases, what happens after the injury can matter. A false report, missing video, delayed phone call, or forged signature can all point to larger problems with communication, supervision, training, or accountability.

What Should Parents Do if They Discover a Forged Signature?

If you believe a daycare forged your signature on an incident report, start by saving everything. Keep a copy of the report, take a photo of the signature, and save any texts, emails, app messages, photos, medical records, or daycare communications connected to the injury.

Write down a timeline while the details are still fresh. Include when you were first contacted, who spoke with you, what they said, when you received the report, and how you discovered the signature was not yours.

If you ask the daycare about the signature, consider doing it in writing so there is a record of your question and their response. You can also report your concern to Texas Health and Human Services Child Care Regulation so the state can review the daycare’s reporting and documentation practices.

How The Button Law Firm Helps Families After Daycare Injuries

At The Button Law Firm, we represent children and families after serious daycare injuries involving negligent supervision, unsafe conditions, false reporting, and failures to protect child safety.

When a daycare’s documents do not match what happened, our team helps families investigate the full picture. That may include reviewing incident reports, licensing records, surveillance footage, witness statements, medical records, and communications from the daycare.

Your family deserves honest answers after your child is hurt. If your child was injured at daycare and you believe the daycare falsified an incident report or forged your signature, contact The Button Law Firm by calling 214-699-4409, emailing intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or filling out our contact form to speak with our team.