The short answer is yes. However, you will need to know more about what you’re suing them for, and why, to have a strong case.
Your child was harmed while at daycare—the place you trusted to keep your child safe while you were working. It’s unimaginable that this could happen to your child, but unfortunately, we see daycare abuse and harm cases more than anyone should.
There are several reasons as to why these kinds of incidents happen in daycares, as explained by our Dallas and Houston child injury attorneys.
Issues Commonly Seen in Abusive and Negligent Daycares:
Understaffing
Daycares are often for-profit businesses, meaning they’re operating as a business with the goal of making money. Some daycares find that their best way to make a larger profit is by reducing the amount of staff they have working with the children. This can cause major issues, like neglect, which can then lead to playground injuries, bottle warmer burns, and abuse from other staff members that goes unnoticed. Additionally, the state of Texas sets a requirement for how many children are allowed to be watched by one employee. If they are not adhering to this requirement, you may have strong evidence to help your case.
Unqualified Employees
The people who watch your child must be qualified professionals who have the right skills and knowledge to be a childcare providers. A daycare center should always run a background check on any employee who will be interacting with the children—there have been cases of children being harmed by convicted criminals that worked at their daycare—these instances could’ve been prevented if the daycare had run proper background checks.
Violent or Dangerous Employees
Some childcare providers use inappropriate tactics to discipline a child when they deem something the child does as wrong. We have seen many instances of children being harmed due to childcare providers being physically abusive—this may include the childcare professional hitting, slapping, or pushing the child among other violent actions. A childcare provider should never be physically abusive towards a child—if they are, they can be arrested and charged with criminal actions.
Signs of Physical Abuse That Can Happen In Texas Daycares:
- Cuts or bruising
- Burns and shocks
- Dislocated shoulders
- Broken bones
- Heatstroke
- Malnourishment
- Dehydration
- Head Trauma
Signs of Behavioral/Psychological Trauma Caused by Daycare Abuse:
- Unexplained anger
- Frequent crying
- Fearful of returning to the daycare facility
- Nightmares
- Sudden and unexplained fears
- Becoming overly-clingy
What You and Your Child May be Compensated For:
- Medical expenses from the injury or any future medical issues related to the injury
- Missed work for parents due to care for the child
- Mental anguish and physical impairment of their daily activities
Daycares need to make sure their employees are always providing high-quality care to the children that spend their days there. Parents and guardians of these children put a great deal of trust into these places to keep their kids safe. We want to ensure that daycares are always held accountable for their actions and that they stop putting profit over the safety of the children in their facilities. If you need to know how to report abuse to your local authorities, click this link.