Best Daycare Hiring Practices: What Parents Should Know

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It seems like a given, but time and time again our Texas child injury lawyer sees kids getting hurt because daycares are not hiring the right people, and are not training, or supervising the caregivers that they put in charge of children. We want to take this time to inform parents about some of the things that daycares are required to do to keep kids safe. 

First, daycares must make sure that they're within proper ratios when watching children. Every state has laws on how many children each caregiver can watch. Improper ratios can lead to neglect and supervision. And neglect can easily cause a serious injury to a child. Second, caregivers must always watch the kids in their care. While this seems obvious, instances keep happening where caregivers are distracted. They could be talking to a co-worker, checking their phone, or, just having too many kids to care for causing a lack of adequate supervision. This can quickly become disastrous for young children. Third, daycares need to kid-proof their spaces. Everyday items like bottle warmers, toys, and electrical outlets, can quickly become dangerous to young children. Daycares must ensure that they're keeping dangerous items out of reach.

Finally, daycares need to do everything possible to vet their staff during the hiring and training process, to make sure that there's not a dangerous person working for the daycare. Once the caregiver is hired, they still need to be supervised to make sure they're safe with the kids. Our firms see serious abuse happen even after there were many warning signs that a caregiver was abusive. Yet daycare operators hesitate to fire abusive employees because they don't want to spend the time or money necessary to hire and train a safe caregiver. If a daycare director sees any signs of abusive behavior towards a child, that caregiver needs to be disciplined, reported to the state, and likely terminated immediately. As a parent, you're paying the daycare to make sure that your kids are staying safe while you're at work. It's absolutely essential that they're held to high standards and that your kids come home injury-free. If your child was injured at daycare, it's important that you take immediate action. Starting by reporting it to the state and seeking any medical attention necessary. A dangerous daycare cannot get away with neglectful or abusive conduct. They need to be held accountable.