It’s a leap of faith to send your child to daycare – and most daycares do their utmost to provide a safe environment for their charges.
Accidents can and do still happen. Statistically speaking, 87% of injuries to children in childcare centers are minor – little more than bumps, scraped knees and bruises. However, roughly 12% of injured children sustain more significant injuries, and 1% suffer severe or fatal wounds.
If your child suffers a significant or severe injury in daycare, here’s what to do:
Stay calm and obtain immediate medical attention
There’s plenty of time to address how the injury happened and who might be at fault later. The first thing you need to do is focus on getting your child the appropriate medical attention. If the daycare staff hasn’t already called for medical assistance, do so immediately.
Listen carefully and gather detailed information
Once your child’s immediate medical needs have been handled, schedule a meeting with the daycare’s management and ask questions. Listen carefully to the daycare provider’s description of the incident. Ask specific questions, like:
- The time and location of the injury
- Who was around to witness the incident
- What your child and the attending staff were doing at the time
- What immediate action staff members took after the accident
Make sure to document this information in your own words for future reference, and ask for a copy of the written incident report to see how things match up. Take photos of your child’s injuries, if possible.
Make a report if you suspect abuse or neglect was involved
If you believe that neglect or abuse may have played a part in your child’s injury you can report it to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) at 1-800-522-3511. If you suspect this, make sure that you remove your child from the daycare immediately.
No parent wants to believe that their child’s caregivers are neglectful or abusive, but you should consider seeking legal guidance if your child’s injuries require anything more than a bandaid.