Entrusting the care of our children to a daycare facility is a decision that needs to be made with caution, care, and diligent research.

Parents need to take the extra precautions of interviewing and examining facilities carefully before leaving their child in the hands of caregivers at any type of daycare or babysitting facility.

With discrepancies in daycare laws and inconsistent certifications required for different types of childcare facilities, it is always advisable to be more than thorough before placing your child under the care of any facility.

Daycare Injury Statistics

Every day more than 300 children require medical treatment for burns – younger children are more susceptible to steam and scald burns.

Drowning is the number one cause of death or injury for children ages 1 and 4 and over 20 children die every week from drowning.

Over 8,000 children require medical treatment for fall-related injuries every day, or almost 3 million each year, and falls are the number one non-fatal child injury. Two children die every day as a result of poisoning, and more than 2,100 require medical treatment each week.

With the risk of burns, drownings, falls and poisonings, children need to be watched and protected. When children are not adequately supervised, injuries are bound to occur. It requires vigilant attention to maintain a safe environment for children, and many daycare centers and childcare ministries are simply not equipped to offer adequate services to their families.

Daycare Accident Procedures

  • Do not delay medical treatment- call 911 or get the child to the nearest medical facility immediately
  • Email or call Wagner Reese for assistance with your child’s injury case
  • Do not agree to anything, or sign anything, without first consulting with a lawyer
  • Keep all information about the case together- notes about the accident, taking pictures of the scene, gathering statements from witnesses

Are you aware of the different types of daycare centers, and did you know that there is a difference in the licensing requirements of church childcare ministries and standard daycares? Many of the injuries and deaths that have occurred recently have happened at church daycare centers, or ministry daycares, those that are operated independently of state requirements and inspections.

In Indiana, to operate a church daycare, or a “registered child care ministry,” a daycare must be registered as a 501c(3) not-for-profit and also be registered with the State of Indiana. However, “registering” is a very simple process with only a few forms and inspections to complete. Once registered as a childcare ministry, the facility must follow only four pages of regulations, simple sanitation rules, and some basic fire hazard rules.

On the other side of the spectrum, for-profit daycares are required to follow 60 pages worth of stringent regulations and are subjected to regular monitoring and surprise inspections. Unfortunately, most church daycares have no required staff-to-child ratio and can legally allow dozens of children to be looked after by only one or two workers, whereas, licensed, for-profit daycare centers must meet strict requirements for staff-to-child ratios, and must report more thoroughly on the constant whereabouts and activities of children throughout the day.

About Our Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers

Stephen Wagner, Jason Reese, and our entire legal team can handle your daycare negligence or childcare injury claim with years of experience and proven results.

Call Wagner Reese today for your free consultation!