When you leave your child with another person and pay to have them watched, the last thing on your mind is abuse. They are professionals after all. They watch kids for a living and surely someone would have said something and shut them down already if something was amiss… wrong. This attitude is what allows day care providers that abuse kids to continue. Would you know the warning signs of a day care provider that is abusing your child? If not, then this article is written just for you.
One of the most common signs that day care providers may be abusing your child is when the child comes home with cuts or bruises on a regular basis. Children will fall and hurt themselves, but if you see this often you should ask some questions of your child. Did they hurt themselves on the playground? How did it happen? Asking questions like this of your child is important, and we should not just assume that cuts, bruises and the like are only kids being kids. Abusive day care workers count on us thinking just that.
Another common sign that your day care provider may be abusing your child is when the child either refuses or hates to go to day care. This can be for many reasons, most of which have nothing to do with abuse. Still, if a child is being abused, they will be hesitant to go to daycare at a minimum. If your child is this way, then you are once again obligated to ask questions both of the child and the daycare itself.
When you visit the daycare, are there areas of the daycare center that are “off-limits” to you? If so, insist that you be allowed to see what is behind door number three. No daycare center should be closed off from view if the kids ever go there, and any situation such as this should set off warning signals right away. Many abusers have areas that they take children for privacy. This is a warning signal in a big way.
Witness the daycare center firsthand. Go in and watch the daycare providers for an entire day. If they will not allow this, then remove your child right away. Many daycare providers that are abusing children will not be able to help themselves but to lose patience throughout a day. They have anger management problems to say the least, so it would be hard to go all day without losing their temper. Do the kids seem to fear a daycare provider in particular? If so, then you should be asking yourself why.
The vast majority of daycare providers are wonderful and have your child’s best interests in mind. For those that do not, it is absolutely vital that you keep your radar finely tuned to what is going on with your child. Many people overlook things, and this allows daycare providers that are abusive to continue their pattern. Until someone steps in and pays attention, they will never be caught and prosecuted.
Remember, there are several types of abuse and not all of them are physical. Mental and emotional abuse are just as damaging in their own right, and should not be passed over. Physical abuse and sexual abuse are more direct, and can be easily noticed if you are paying attention to your child. Watch out for these warning signs of abuse, and you will take a huge step forward in your child’s daycare safety.
Sources:
Author Uncredited, ” Protecting Your Child From Abuse in Daycare”, Family Education.com
Janice Warren, Infantcore.com
