The purpose of childcare is to keep a close eye on little ones when parents are unable to do so. However, it may surprise many working parents in Texas that a lack of supervision at daycare and childcare centers across the state ranks among the seven most often cited minimum standard violations when children younger than 4 years old are seriously hurt. This is according to the most recent licensed daycare child safety data report published by Texas Health and Human Services. (Minimum standards are the state’s daycare laws.)
Our Texas daycare and childcare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm want to educate parents about improper supervision at daycare centers, including the most common ways little ones can get hurt when caregivers do not keep a watchful eye on them, what factors contribute to inadequate supervision incidents, and tips to find a facility that complies with supervision standards for little ones in their care.
What Are the Most Common Child Injuries Caused by Improper Supervision at Texas Daycare and Childcare Centers?
Per the minimum standards, daycare and childcare workers are required to keep close visual and auditory awareness of each child. When this doesn’t happen, little ones can be seriously hurt.
Based on firsthand experience of helping families across Texas after incidents involving improper supervision, our daycare and childcare injury lawyers present the Top 5 injuries children can suffer:
Daycare centers with nurseries frequently use bottle warmers because they can quickly heat a baby’s bottle without boiling the formula. However, little ones, especially toddlers, need to be closely monitored while these gadgets are in use since the boiling water used to heat the formula can cause severe burns. These burn injuries can range in severity from blistering the top layer of a child’s skin to damaging multiple layers of skin and even cause nerve damage.
Our Texas daycare and childcare injury lawyers most often see instances where unsupervised toddlers are able to pull a loose cord on the bottle warmer or knock one over when it is left on a surface within reach of a child, causing boiling water or milk to spill on them and scald the skin.
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Children Left in Locked Daycare Vans or Outside a Center
The extreme Texas heat, especially during the summer months, can be brutal just walking from a car into a building. However, when caregivers at a daycare center lose track of the little ones in their care, leaving them on a playground or left behind in a locked daycare van in extreme temperatures, children can experience heatstroke. This means that a child’s body temperature exceeds 104 degrees, resulting in nausea, rapid breathing, and hot, dry skin, among other symptoms.
Studies have shown that the temperature inside a vehicle can rise by 30 to 40 degrees in an hour, and 70% of this increase occurs in the first 30 minutes. When children are left behind in a daycare van or bus on a triple-digit summer day, the situation can quickly turn fatal or leave little ones with life-threatening injuries like organ and muscle damage.
Children 4 years old and younger are most susceptible to life-threatening choking incidents at daycare and childcare centers when they are not properly supervised at snack and mealtimes or if they are given access to age-inappropriate toys. These incidents can occur silently, without any loud noises or exaggerated movements. Proper supervision can quickly save a child’s life by removing the toy or food from their airway.
Unsupervised infants are also at risk of choking during naptime when they are not swaddled correctly. Babies who start moving their heads or rolling over independently can face a risk of suffocation when a blanket gets wrapped or twisted too tightly around their neck.
When children of all ages go unsupervised, they are at risk of falling from playground equipment or any high surface like a changing table, high chair, or infant bouncy chair placed on a counter. Little ones, especially those who are 2 years old or younger, are at the greatest risk of suffering a pediatric skull fracture or traumatic brain injury (TBI) from these daycare incidents, according to a 2023 study published in the National Library of Medicine.
In addition, falling on a hard surface at a daycare center can result in broken bones and, in extreme cases, spinal cord injuries that can leave a child paralyzed. Tragically, approximately 1% of infant fatalities are caused by fall injuries due to their bodies being too fragile to survive a hard landing or the injuries sustained.
Unsupervised children at daycare and childcare centers face a risk of crushed-finger injuries when their digits become trapped, caught, or squeezed between objects such as a heavy classroom door, the door of a daycare’s vehicle, or between drawers in a classroom that were left open. In all these scenarios, the watchful eye of a caregiver can easily intervene and prevent these painful injuries.
Why Is Inadequate Supervision an Issue at Daycare and Childcare Centers?
You may be wondering: How is inadequate supervision possible when watching children is the purpose of local daycare centers?
There are several factors that contribute to a lack of supervision at daycare and childcare centers, including:
- Centers hiring unqualified and untrained workers who are easily distracted or lack knowledge about what hazards to proactively look out for while watching children
- Classrooms exceeding state-mandated child-to-caregiver ratios, making it impossible for caregivers to keep a close eye on children
- Ensuring caregivers know which children they are responsible for
- Facilities and workers taking safety shortcuts such as not completing the necessary headcounts when loading and unloading children from a daycare vehicle
- Noncompliance with minimum standards focused on supervision, such as conducting multiple face-to-name checks throughout the day
What Can Parents Do to Ensure Daycare or Childcare Workers Comply with Daycare Supervision Standards?
Our Texas daycare and childcare injury lawyers have created a free guide full of tips, including questions to ask facilities and red flags to watch out for when touring new centers that can help parents determine if caregivers create a safe environment for children and comply with the minimum standards, including proper supervision.
Contact The Button Law Firm Help If a Child Is Injured Due to Improper Supervision at a Local Daycare Center
If your child suffered an injury because of negligent practices such as a lack of proper supervision at a daycare center anywhere in Texas, our team of experienced and compassionate daycare and childcare injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm can help. We’re dedicated to advocating for you and your family. We are ready to listen and fight for your family to get justice and 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. Get a free case evaluation by calling us at 214-699-4409, emailing us at [email protected], or filling out a contact form.
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