Spring, Texas Daycare Centers: A Guide to Premises Liability Injuries

With more than 20 A-rated elementary schools in Spring, Texas, according to local realtor Jordan Marie Schilleci, it's no wonder that so many young families are moving to the area. Most households have two working parents who rely on childcare for children who are not old enough to attend local schools and after-school programs.

We know parents like you want the best for their children and consult online reviews, social media groups like Moms of Spring on Facebook, and even download our free safe daycare guide in order to find the ideal childcare facility. However, even the most recommended daycare centers in Spring can have unmaintained areas or dangerous playgrounds that can lead to a child injuring themselves on facility grounds. These daycare injuries are considered to have premises liability.

Our daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm are raising awareness about premises liability at Spring daycare centers and the most common scenarios we have seen where local facilities drop the ball. 

Common Ways Children Get Hurt When Spring Daycare Centers Are Not Maintained 

When we talk about premises liability, the first thing that comes to mind is safety issues with a daycare center’s playground. A playground that is not kept in good condition can have hazards such as loose parts on equipment, a broken slide with sharp edges, torn ropes, and monkey bars with rusted nails or protruding screws. If left unkept, these dangerous conditions can cause children to get hurt. Poorly maintained equipment and grounds can lead to children falling from a high surface, suffering deep cuts that require stitches, sustaining scrapes that could get infected, and even slicing or severing their fingers.

Another issue when it comes to premises liability at daycare centers in Spring, especially centers that take care of toddlers, is security. Without proper locks, alarms, and door monitoring, curious toddlers can wander unnoticed from a classroom or even the daycare’s grounds. These scary incidents can endanger children’s lives. They could be hit by a car or even kidnapped. In some cases, children can get trapped outside on a playground for hours in extreme heat and experience heatstroke.

Additionally, large pieces of furniture that tip over also fall under the umbrella of premises liability at Spring daycare centers. All furniture pieces are required to follow the manufacturer’s anchoring instructions. While this may sound simple, we have seen instances where well-meaning parents donate old furniture or a center’s director finds furniture at a garage sale or thrift store and repurposes the pieces at the facility. Even though the facility anchors the used items into the wall, they might not do it properly or the screws or nails used are not the right length, so those large, heavy pieces could fall on top of children and cause serious injuries like broken bones and concussions.   

Finally, we are no strangers to scorching summer temperatures in Spring, and we know a swimming pool can be a great amenity at a local daycare center—some centers even offer swim lessons for older children. However, unkempt fences, slippery pavement, sharp edges, harsh chemicals, pool drains, and other hazards can lead to unsupervised children getting injured.

Providing Safe Spaces at Daycare Centers in Spring, Texas

Under Texas daycare safety laws, also known as minimum standards, daycare centers in Spring are required to maintain a safe environment. These regulations cover everything from indoor activity spaces and adequate fencing for outdoor play areas.

Caregivers at Spring daycare centers should also take the following steps to create a safe space for children in their care:

1. Keep the facility clean and well-maintained. This includes regularly cleaning and sanitizing surfaces.
2. Regularly inspect the facility for hazards or issues that need to be addressed. This includes checking for tripping hazards and broken equipment, ensuring electrical outlets are covered, filling in gaps in fences, and addressing other potential dangers that could hurt children.
3. Repair or replace any broken or malfunctioning equipment. For example, playground equipment should be in good condition without any protruding nails or screws, broken wood, or rusted metal that could seriously injure a child. In addition, furniture that is not stable should be secured to the wall or replaced to avoid falling on children.
4. Train workers on identifying and addressing hazards at the facility. This could be filing a maintenance report or making note of an issue to bring to the director’s attention. Training should also include how to properly supervise children to prevent accidents from happening.
5. Ensure bells or alarms are installed and work properly when an exterior door is opened to ensure that only authorized people enter the facility and curious toddlers are not able to wander away unnoticed.

Filing a Daycare Premises Liability Lawsuit in Spring, Texas

If your child was seriously hurt or endangered because a daycare center in Spring was not properly maintained or was unsafe, you can hold the facility accountable for its negligence by filing a lawsuit. Going through this process can compensate your family for damages and ensure that the daycare center corrects its failures to protect other children in Spring from being harmed. 

Some examples of damages that your family may be compensated for in a premises liability lawsuit against a Spring daycare center:

• Developmental regressions that a child may experience, such as forgetting potty training
• Experiencing severe behavioral issues such as extreme separation anxiety from a parent or not trusting authority figures
• Loss of enjoyment of life, meaning the trauma a child experienced causes them to be scared to participate in activities that they previously enjoyed
• Medical bills for current, ongoing, and future treatments to help your child heal from their injuries sustained at the daycare center
• Mental anguish that can manifest via constant nightmares and disrupted sleep patterns
• Pain and suffering
• Resources such as play therapy sessions to help a child process a traumatic daycare incident in a healthy way

Lawsuits against Spring daycare centers are required to be filed within two years of the date of your child’s injury or trauma. In addition, our legal team requires time to investigate. That’s why we encourage parents to reach out sooner rather than later to prevent the statute of limitations from expiring.  

The Button Law Firm Can Help Your Family After a Child’s Injury at a Spring Daycare Center

Our team of experienced and compassionate daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm is dedicated to advocating for you and your family if your child was seriously hurt because of unsafe conditions at a daycare center in Spring, Texas. We are ready to listen and fight to help your family get justice and move forward. Our attorneys at The Button Law Firm are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a traumatizing incident involving your child. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case.

Call us at 281-857-6116, email us at  [email protected], or fill out a contact form for a free consultation. Our experienced daycare injury attorneys will listen and determine the best way to help you and your family move forward.