Abuse in the daycare setting can be devastating, but there are some small measures that parents can take to prevent it from happening to your child.
Recent news reports have rung with stories of Jacob Fox, the four-year-old who died of heat stroke after he was left in a closed van while on a field trip to a park with his daycare. Other stories feature daycare providers who have molested children, and centers that are rough and negligent with those attending their center.
What can parents do to prevent this from being their children?
Most parents who placed their children in these centers were not negligent- they truly thought that they were placing their children in a center that was affordable, friendly, and safe. So what went wrong, and what can parents look for the next time when they are forced to make an agonizing search for a new center?
One feature that has become recently popular is a web-cam strategically positioned in the daycare that is connected to the center's website. This feature can give parents the assurance of what is going on with their children at any given minute during the day. However, this can also backfire in the establishment of trust. Parents are not privy to sound of the events that they are seeing, which can sometimes be vital in understanding the visual element, and also the mere presence of a camera photographing their every move every 10 seconds or so sets up an assumption of mistrust between care-givers and parents that is dangerous to the relationship as well as with the children.
Another important factor is certification. Most areas demand that any childcare center that serves over four children be certified by the local government. Many people choose an illegal daycare because they offer childcare that is cheaper relative to other centers. This is a case of paying for what you get. Centers that are certified are subject to regular visitations by government officials which may or may not be announced. Centers are also required to conduct regular fire drills, conform to nutrition standards, and have employees fingerprinted and checked for prior arrests and incidents of abuse.
One further action on the part of parents can actually provide immediate benefits for your children and others around them-- come in for unannounced visits. Your excuse may be that your little one forgot something at home, or even that you simply want to eat lunch with your child as a special treat. This will allow you to see your childcare providers in many different situations, and at a time where they are not anticipating being observed. Any quality center should have an open door policy for parents, grandparents and other guardians. If they do not allow unannounced visits you should find out if there is truly a good reason for this. Also other things to look for are, are there children who are fighting and no one seems to be intervening or at least observing? When you pick up your child are teachers grouped together, sitting behind the teacher desk, reading a book, on the phone, are children always watching a movie? While these are not always indicators of abuse, this does show that the teachers are not as observant as they need to be, and could indicate that the director or other authority is not actively seeking the best employees for their center-- which I think every parent would agree that their child deserves.
Visit my other articles on selecting a quality dacyare center:
A New Center and Look For Love
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