The Dangers of Sending Children to Unlicensed Daycares

Choosing a daycare is tough because you’re trusting someone you’re not familiar with to watch your children. And, in addition to that, daycare tends to be very expensive for parents. So, that might make you interested in sending your child to a daycare that doesn’t have all the right paperwork in order - to save a few bucks. 

As daycare injury attorneys, we often get the question, “Is it okay for my kids to go to an unlicensed daycare?" In our experience, unlicensed daycares are not a good idea.

What Parents Need to Know About Unlicensed Daycares

Though they may be more cost-effective, unlicensed daycares aren’t subject to the same rules and regulations as licensed daycares. They don’t have anyone to report to, and they aren’t monitored by a state agency for the basic minimum standards.

That means that an unlicensed facility might not follow all the rules and regulations licensed daycares must follow.

This can be dangerous, as the caregivers may not follow safety guidelines like:

• Keeping bottle warmers out of reach
• Ensuring kids are in the right age group
• Properly feeding children
• Or using safe methods for disciplining and redirecting children

The scary part is – if your child is a victim of abuse or neglect at an unlicensed daycare, it’s often harder to get justice for them.

Uninsured Daycares - What You Need to Know

Unlicensed daycares are usually uninsured, which may leave parents with the financial burden of covering all the medical bills and other expenses from the incident. That gives parents little to no opportunity to get a resolution for their child.

We understand how difficult it can be when you’re trying to choose the right daycare for your family, and we encourage parents to ask us the tough questions. If you’d like to read more information on finding a safe daycare for your child, be sure to download our free guide called 10 Tips for Finding a Safe Daycare – it’s linked below.

And if you ever have any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our legal team at The Button Law Firm. We’re here to keep you and your family moving forward.