How Children Can Fall Through Windows at Daycare

It’s a nightmare no parent should ever have to face—your child comes home from daycare with an injury so severe it leaves you reeling.

Falling through a window at daycare sounds unimaginable. Yet for some families, it’s a devastating reality that changes everything in an instant.

So how does something like this happen? And more importantly, how can it be prevented? Let’s break it down.

Improper Daycare Design Can Put Children at Risk

Daycare facilities are required to prioritize child safety in every aspect of their design and layout. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.

Windows near high-traffic areas, such as doors or transition zones, should be equipped with shatter-resistant glass or protective barriers. Without those safeguards, a single moment of chaos can turn tragic.

Imagine this scenario:
One child runs into a window, and it holds firm. Later, another child hits the same glass—but this time, it shatters. The result can be severe injuries that require emergency surgery.

When daycare facilities cut corners on safety standards, children pay the price.

Inadequate Maintenance Creates Preventable Dangers

Even a well-designed daycare can become dangerous if it isn’t properly maintained.

Daycare centers are responsible for routinely inspecting every part of their building, including windows, to ensure they still meet safety standards. That means checking for cracks, weaknesses, or damage and fixing issues before someone gets hurt.

In one example, a daycare failed to repair damaged windows despite clear warning signs from previous incidents. That negligence set the stage for a future injury when a child ran into the window and it shattered.

This wasn’t an accident; it was preventable.

Lack of Supervision Plays a Critical Role

Design and maintenance issues are often compounded by another serious problem: inadequate supervision.

Proper supervision is essential to keeping children safe, especially during transitions like moving from outdoor playtime back inside. These moments require heightened attention from caregivers.

In one case, two children ran toward a window near a doorway as they were coming in from the playground. The teacher was preoccupied, standing halfway in the doorway, leaving the children unsupervised as they approached the door.

Both children ran into the window. It broke. And both suffered severe injuries.

Why This Matters

These incidents aren’t flukes. They are the result of preventable failures.

When daycares neglect basic safety measures such as proper design, regular maintenance, and active supervision, they put children at unnecessary risk. No child should have to endure a traumatic injury at a place their parents trusted to keep them safe.

And no parent should have to live with the pain of knowing it could have been avoided.

Understanding how these incidents occur is the first step toward ensuring they don’t happen again.

You’re Not Alone after a Daycare Injury

If your child fell through a window at daycare, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate this on your own.

The Button Law Firm is here to listen and help you understand what steps you can take next.

Call (214) 699-4409, email intake@buttonlawfirm.com, or fill out our contact form to share your story.