The vast majority of day care facilities provide excellent service and are staffed with caring professionals who have your child's best interests at heart.
However, accidents do happen. Sometimes those "accidents" are a direct result of inadequate child supervision and the failure of day care staff on multiple levels. The first instinct in these situations is to protect the facility instead of doing what's right.
Even if you don't suspect possible neglect from your day care provider, you should still watch for signs that could indicate otherwise. The following are physical and emotional signals to look for which might indicate possible abuse or neglect.
- Continued unexplained bruising or other visible injuries
- Dirty face and hands
- Clothes that are torn or ripped
- Your child cries every time you leave
- Withdrawn behavior from friends and/or family
- Acting out
- Inability to get along with other children
- Fighting
- Crying almost daily
Some signs are not as noticeable as others and you may think it's normal behavior or that your child occasionally has a "bad day" when they are in day care. It is possible that is exactly what is happening, but don't ignore any changes in your child's behavior that you can't attribute to a specific source.
If your children are old enough, it is very important to discuss their day with them every day they attend day care. This will help identify possible changes in their feelings towards day care.
For example, they were always happy with the day care and suddenly they are telling you they don't like it and they don't want to go back. This could indicate something happened. Try to get as much information from your child as possible, especially if they have any existing signs of possible neglect or abuse.
It can be hard to determine if neglect might be occurring, but never ignore any change in your child's behavior. If your child tells you something happened, request an immediate conference with the staff and their immediate supervisors, if any, to clarify exactly what might be happening.
It does happen at times that your child or children are just not getting what they want or not wanting to follow a specific rule. Your child could be exaggerating or even making stuff up to exhibit his anger for not getting his way. Having this initial meeting will help determine if this might be the case.
Use your best judgment. No one knows your child better than you do. If you feel your child is telling the truth and the day care insists there is nothing wrong, pursuing legal action to resolve the problem is the best course of action to take. Contact an experienced attorney immediately and get local authorities involved. Various state and local agencies should have more information on exactly what to do in this situation.
Never disregard any changes in your child's behavior, even the smallest, because, if unnoticed, the consequences to your child could become more severe and damaging over time. Don't let your child become a victim of day care negligence.
