As parents, the top priority is to ensure their children’s safety, happiness, health, and well-being. Parents are often forced to depend on unfamiliar individuals in daycare facilities for the care of their children.
Common Childhood Injuries at Daycare Facilities
- Scrapes, cuts, and bruises
- Broken bones
- Poisoning
- Choking
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Drowning
- Slip and fall
- Burns
If your child is suffering due to abuse or neglect at daycare, an experienced daycare injury lawyer can help you by filing a legal case. Through this process, they can work towards getting the justice and compensation that you and your family deserve.
Do You Know?
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Development, only 10% of childcare amenities provide positive care to children, thereby leading to more cases of personal injury.
Familiar Places Where Injuries Occur In Childcare Facilities
Parents who work full-time are often forced to leave their young ones in childcare centers for up to 8-10 hours a day. Here, the children eat, sleep and take part in other activities.
The following are some of the most common accidents that children may experience and sustain injuries from:
- Playground Accidents
- Hot Liquids
- Poisoning
- Choking
- Unsecured objects
Playground accidents
If the daycare is making use of old and deteriorated equipment, such as wood, it could break apart while children are at play, causing serious potential harm such as head trauma, broken bones, concussions, internal bleeding, dislocations, or other physical injuries.
Hot Liquids
The negligence of childcare workers regularly results in children getting scalded or burned from hot liquids. Furthermore, it can range from mild first-degree burns to severe third-degree ones. In some cases, faulty electrical wiring may also cause harm to the children.
Poisoning
The daycare facilities may use cleaning solutions that can be poisonous if consumed by the younger kids. Therefore, the providers need to monitor the children carefully to prevent them from consuming any harmful chemicals.
Choking
It is expected that babies and toddlers try to put everything in their mouths; however, carelessness on the part of staff may lead to suffocation or choking if they put toys, medication, or food in their mouths. Moreover, babies need to be carefully monitored when they sleep, as blankets and pillows may suffocate them.
Unsecured Objects
If the daycare facility is overcrowded or not rigorously supervised, children may move around freely and come into contact with hazardous objects such as sharp toys, broken furniture, glass windows, and other items. Furthermore, an injured child can acquire infections from these foreign objects if they are not cleaned properly. The daycare amenities need to meet the specific code regulations to ensure the safety of all children.
Strategies For Childhood Injury Prevention
Children may sustain injuries easily; therefore, the daycare staff need to take preventive strategies, such as:
- Remove any sharp, hot, or breakable objects from the reach of the children.
- Add safety measures such as suitable barriers, locks and keys, and covering of electrical sockets.
- If there are any sharp corners, they need to be covered with corner guards.
- Water safety is a must and can be accomplished by avoiding any wet or slippery surfaces.
- Daycare centers must use child-safe equipment such as safe toys, child-safe cutlery, and high chairs to secure babies.
There are many other ways to prevent injuries to children, but these are the most basic steps that any child care provider should take. It is essential for daycare centers to take preventive measures to ensure a safe and secure environment for all their young charges.
Childcare Injury Statistics in the United States
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, in 2004, nearly two-thirds of infants were in daycare facilities in America, and approximately 30% were in full-time daycare.
Statistics from 2014 show that fatalities in childcare centers were due to drowning, motor vehicle accidents, unintentional injuries, homicide, and violence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unintentional injuries were most frequent among male children, babies under 1 year of age, and teens aged 15 to 19 during 2018-2019.
If you believe your child has sustained injuries due to the carelessness of the childcare providers, schedule a free case consultation or call our office today to discuss your case with our personal injury attorneys. They can file daycare lawsuits and help parents pursue compensation.