When we place our children in the care of another person, we want to believe that they are trained and willing to care for them to the best of their abilities. Most likely, you’ve done quite a bit of research, scraped the online reviews, and asked friends and family for their most trusted childcare facilities.
However, sometimes the worst can happen, and your child may end up in a facility that provides less than ideal care.
This blog post will discuss how to proceed if your child has been injured at daycare through a neglectful accident.
Common Daycare Injuries
Being a parent, you know your child is susceptible to various injuries no matter how carefully they are being watched. Here are some common injuries your child may experience due to neglect of care, defective equipment, lack of supervision, etc.:
- Diaper rash
- Cuts, scrapes, bruises, etc
- Poor hygiene
- Falls
- Burns
- Drowning accidents
- Rashes and skin burns from dangerous chemicals
- Poisoning
- Choking
- Physical abuse
- Injuries from another child
- Broken bones
Colorado Daycare Health and Safety Requirements
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood monitors all daycare programs for compliance with all rules and regulations at each licensing inspection.
These requirements include, but are not limited to:
- Building and physical premises safety
- Administration of medication
- Emergency preparedness and response planning
- First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of bio-contaminants
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention and control of infectious diseases, including immunization
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices
In addition, to these requirements, your childcare facility must abide by additional guidelines, which can be found here.
How to Find a Quality Childcare Program in Colorado
When you’re searching for child care, you’re also searching for the right type of care for your child. It might be preschool, a family child care home, a child care center or Head Start. Colorado Shines helps you learn about the different types of child care programs and find the right one for your family. Colorado Shines is a quality rating and improvement system for Colorado’s licensed early care and learning programs. Colorado Shines rates early learning programs and connects families with quality child care and preschool programs. It measures quality based on how a program supports its children, families, and professionals. This free search tool allows families to search for early childhood programs utilizing information such as location, hours, licensing, and Colorado Shines quality rating.
What To Do If Your Child Has Been Injured as a Result of Neglect
Do you feel your child may have been a victim of neglect due to improper care from their childcare facility? Follow these steps.
- Receive medical assistance: if the child has suffered a significant injury, the child must be transported to a nearby hospital as quickly as possible. Because these types of injuries can put a child’s health and well-being at serious risk, professional medical attention must be sought without any wasted time.
- File a complaint: Documenting your complaint is essential to moving forward with any case you may have. Call The Colorado Department of Early Childhood at 303-866-5958 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The facility will never know who made the complaint, and all complaints are anonymous. All information is kept confidential about parents and children in care.
- Contact a Personal Injury Attorney: If your child is injured due to the negligence of a third party, such as a daycare center, you must consult with a Denver personal injury attorney immediately to educate yourself regarding the potential deadlines for filing a lawsuit against the negligent party.
- Call 911 immediately if you believe or witness your child or another child in a life-threatening situation.
If you suspect your child is or has been a victim of neglect or an accident at a daycare facility, you need first contact the authorities and childcare department in your area. Next, you should consult a Colorado personal injury attorney to seek counsel on how to proceed with your case. Contact us today for a FREE consultation with the experts at Cave Law.
