Supervision Risks When Selecting the Right Daycare for Your Child

There are still a few months left in the school year, but parents should already start making decisions regarding where their children are going to go during summer break. Most parents can’t afford to take two months off work to provide direct care and supervision for their child, so they are reliant upon other arrangements. Though some parents choose for their children to stay home with minimal supervision during the break, many more are left scrambling for daycare or other options. Summer camps are the choice for some kids, but not all parents want their kids away from home for that long. Summer day camps might be offered through local YMCAs, schools or other programs.

For those parents who choose to find a daycare or other similar facility for their children, knowing that the children are properly supervised is critical. Parents should be prepared to ask certain questions before entrusting the care of their children to other adults. Potential questions include:

• What is the ratio of children to staff to maintain adequate supervision?
• What are the sign-in and sign-out protocols to ensure only the right person picks your child up?
• What is the procedure if a child is injured or becomes sick at some point during the day?
• How many staff are certified in CPR, First Aid, or other emergency situations?

Though there are many facilities that provide quality care for children, there are others who are more interested in minimizing cost and maximizing profit in maintaining a safe environment. The more questions you ask, the more likely you are to discover potential problems before they occur. Negligent supervision, where a provider fails to provide the necessary oversight to keep kids safe, is far too common.

If your child was injured or killed due to negligent supervision, determining exactly what should have been done to keep them safe can be difficult. Even getting truthful answers from the provider can be harrowing, particularly when there is an economic incentive for them to withhold those answers. Please contact an experienced attorney who can help you advocate for the answers you need.