Daycare Ratios in Texas
Daycares unfortunately have a high turnover rate, and that leads to battles with understaffing daycares in Texas operate with a child caregiver ratio. What that means is a certain number of kids in a certain age group. The daycare then has to provide a certain number of caregivers to supervise them. Unfortunately, even the ratios provided in Texas present a risk to kids when they don't provide enough supervision to keep kids safe. And to take that a step further, consider the daycares that can't even meet those ratios. We all know that daycare-aged children require constant supervision because the less supervision that those kids get, the more likely that they're going to get hurt. Even when the child the staff member ratio is high, children can get hurt. They can get hurt by:
- Playing with one another
- Playing with a broken or defective toy because no one's watching them
- Fall on the playground because there are not enough caregivers to adequately supervise them
- The daycare can lose track of the child and before you know it that kid has gotten lost or wandered off the property.
In Texas, licensed daycare centers are routinely inspected for the most part. The results are publicly available and parents should look into the past citations for understaffing deficiencies. Then they should follow up with questions to the daycare director. Speak up, get answers on how they plan to operate within the ratios, and how they plan to supervise your child to keep them safe.
If Your Child was Injured in a Texas Daycare
If your child was injured at daycare, and you feel that understaffing, a lack of supervision or a lack of monitoring was the likely cause, you and your family need to go take your child and seek medical attention because your child's health is the number one priority. Second, make sure to report it to the daycare and ensure that a report is actually done. In Texas, daycares are required to report most injuries that occur on their property. Third, contact an attorney with daycare experience because things will not change unless the daycare is held responsible, and it's our goal here to make sure that things like this never happen again. Consultations with our team are always free. Our guides and handbooks are always free and we're dedicated here to making sure that daycares are safe places so working parents don't have to fear for the safety and lives of children.