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Like any parent, a mother and father in Mesquite, Texas, expected to drop off their son at a daycare center and pick him up the same way they left him: feeling safe and happy. s the parents of a child with special needs, however, this family put a lot more trust in the daycare center they chose for their little one. They understood that their 4-year-old child with autism required extra care from his caregivers. Unfortunately, the daycare center broke that trust. It’s something our team of experienced daycare and child injury lawyers have seen firsthand: that abuse of children with autism at local daycare centers is more common than you may think.
In February 2024, when the parents of this sweet 4-year-old boy came to pick him up from the Mesquite daycare center, they found severe bruising on his back. They immediately knew something seriously wrong happened to him and asked to review surveillance footage for the boy’s classroom. They discovered the caregiver, who was hired and trained by the Mesquite center, used inappropriate discipline tactics that broke Texas daycare laws. The footage captured the caregiver roughly flipping the little boy onto his stomach and repeatedly smacking his back, causing deep bruising.
The boy’s parents contacted our experienced daycare and child injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm to hold the daycare center in Mesquite accountable for the unsafe operating practices and abuse that caused their child to suffer significant bruising. Our legal team got justice by securing a settlement that helped the family recover the medical expenses that were required to treat the boy’s injuries and help the whole family move forward.
What Did This Mesquite, Texas, Daycare Center Do to Fail This Family?
All licensed daycare centers in Texas are required to follow the minimum standards to keep children like this 4-year-old boy safe. According to these childcare laws, daycare centers are required to provide mandatory annual training for caregivers and other staff members to ensure everyone at the center is knowledgeable about the standards and follows them when caring for children at the center.
Sadly, this daycare center in Mesquite violated several of the minimum standards when it failed to:
- Confirm caregiver employees knew and complied with minimum standards
- Ensure caregivers interacted with children in a positive manner
- Ensure caregivers were courteous, respectful, accepting, and patient when engaging with children at the center
- Be certain caregivers demonstrated competency, good judgment, and self-control
- Closely monitor classrooms throughout the day to check that no child was abused, neglected, or exploited at the center
- Make sure caregivers used approved and age-appropriate punishment tactics and not corporal punishment methods
- Not force children to sleep
- Allow children to participate in alternative quiet activities until naptime ended for other children, if a child was unable to sleep
- Certify their employees were qualified, trained, and supervised
An independent investigation conducted by the Department of Family and Protective Services cited the Mesquite daycare center for violating the minimum standards when the boy’s caregiver used harsh, cruel, and unusual punishment methods on him. The daycare center’s director also received a citation for having a director who did not intervene when the caregiver was abusing the child.
How Did The Button Law Firm Help This Mesquite Family Seek Justice?
The family of a 4-year-old Mesquite boy with autism already faced adversity in trying to find a daycare center that kept their child safe and respected his special needs. When this daycare center violated their trust, our daycare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm advocated for them to hold the Mesquite daycare center liable.
The severity of this young boy’s injuries had his family rushing him to seek professional medical attention. When they brought their son to the local hospital, doctors diagnosed him with a back contusion and recommended he seek follow-up care with his pediatrician.
Due to the treatment he faced at his daycare center, this young boy and his family suffered serious noneconomic damages. First, the family had to search for another, safer daycare center for their child that supported his special needs. This change was financially taxing on the family, and difficult for their son as well. Given the events that happened at his previous Mesquite daycare center, the boy displayed severe anxiety when his parents brought him to daycare. This behavior extended beyond his new school: He frequently had tantrums and showed heightened distrust of adults.
The 4-year-old boy also suffered from stressful night terrors. Following the incident, he was unable to sleep alone and often clung to his mother during the day. His mother reported that he would frequently wake up during the night in fear, screaming and crying that someone was hitting him. These sleep disturbances made it difficult for him and his family to get through the day, as he was more irritable and tended to act out.
Navigating the emotional and physical damages of a child with autism can be even more challenging than one without these special needs. Our team was there to provide emotional support to this suffering family as they navigated the legal process, and we were ultimately able to help this family win financial compensation from the daycare center. The legal victory this Mesquite family experienced has helped them move forward and will support the family as they provide for their son’s future needs.
Was Your Child Harmed at a Daycare Center in Texas? Contact The Button Law Firm.
If your child was physically or emotionally harmed at a daycare center anywhere in Texas, contact our experienced daycare and child injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm. With lawyers in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, we are ready to listen, fight for your family, and help your family move forward. Our lawyers at The Button Law Firm are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a traumatizing incident involving your child. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Call us at 214-699-4409, email us at [email protected], or fill out a contact form for a free case evaluation.
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