When looking for good childcare, you try to find a place where your child can play and learn in a stimulating and nurturing environment. Most importantly, however, you want a place where your child will be safe. Daycare providers have a responsibility to take the necessary steps to protect your child’s safety and welfare. But some providers don’t take this responsibility seriously, and the consequences can be devastating.
Daycare Assaults
It is hard for a parent to entrust the well-being of their child to another person. When we do so, we expect that the daycare provider will be loving and patient with our child. Caring for multiple children is a difficult job, and sometimes daycare workers lose their cool. If a daycare worker acts out physically, your child could become injured or traumatized. Daycare centers have an obligation, and a duty under childcare licensing regulations, to perform adequate background checks on employees to ensure that they don’t have a history of violence. Daycare centers should also properly train employees on how to deal with difficult child behaviors and provide overburdened employees with relief and assistance when necessary to prevent violent incidents.
Negligent Supervision
As anyone who has cared for a child can tell you, any lapse in concentration while supervising a child can have serious consequences. An unsupervised child in an unsecured daycare facility could wander away from the center. A child who is not properly supervised could climb on equipment at the center and become seriously injured.
Parents have a right to expect that their children will be properly supervised at daycare. The daycare center has an obligation to provide adequate supervision for all children. New York daycare regulations prescribe ratios of teachers to children that must be maintained based on the age of the children. In addition, situations such as a field trip or an outdoor activity may require more supervision than required by the State depending on the circumstances. Daycare workers should be keeping a close eye on children at all times, and the center should make sure they are properly trained to do so.
Premises Liability
Just like any other business, daycare centers have a duty to maintain their properties in a reasonably safe condition free from hazards. In a daycare setting, the duty is even higher. A daycare center should make sure that their premises are childproofed and free from dangers that could be attractive to a child. Things like broken playground equipment, uncovered light sockets, and other dangers can lead to serious injury.
If your child has been injured at a daycare center, you should have an experienced personal injury attorney evaluate your case. At Bonina & Bonina, P.C., we have over 50 years of experience helping injured New Yorkers and their families. Contact us online or call us at 1-888-MEDLAW1 to schedule your free consultation. Home and hospital visits are available. Se habla español