Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Scott Soutullo, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
In Alabama and other States, trust is a vital component of placing a child in a day care center. If a parent has concerns or lacks the trust of a day care center or child care provider, a parent may consider changing day care centers. Many parents rely on faith based or church day care centers to provide child care during working hours. In Alabama and Other States, the government regulations for a church day care center may differ from a commercial (non faith based) day care center. For instance, background checks may not be required if the day care center is connected to or affiliated with a church. While background checks do not automatically make a day care center safe and free from dangers, background checks do help weed out sexual predators and others with a criminal background who may pose a danger or risk to children. When selecting a day care center, ask if the day care center performs background checks and also ask to see the licensing and survey documentation for the facility. You can read more about this topic at Day Care Dangers – Alabama – Faith Based Day Care Centers and Exemptions from State Regulations.
In Lufkin, Texas, a teacher’s aide was arrested based on criminal allegations that she struck / hit a 4 year old boy. The incident took place at the Slack Elementary School. It was reported that another teacher’s aide witness the acts of Debra Martin Fuqua (age 54). There were subsequent investigations of the incident by the school district as well as Child Protective Services. This was an interesting story in that the alleged criminal acts were witnessed by another school employee. Often times, a child has no such adult witness to step up and serve as a witness on the case. See 
In Ohio and other states, accidental injuries take place in day care centers. It is important for day care providers and child care providers to recognize and respond to injuries. First Aid kits should be readily available and the parent should be immediately contacted should the injury require medical care beyond a simple bandaid. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services requires day care centers to complete an Incident Report when there is an injury that takes place at a day care center. Incident Reports like these are important in that they help document the incident for the day care center, parents, and the State of Ohio. Recognizing and reporting accidents and incidents that lead to injury can help bring a better safety awareness to day care centers. There are many issues or questions that arise when a child is injured in a day care center including the following:
In New York and other States, two things don’t mix well – day care centers and guns. In Syracuse, New York, a man was sentenced to prison for having a shot gun outside of a New York day care center. He was charged and sentenced for criminal possession of this firearm / weapon. Police had responded to the scene after getting a call that shots were fired. While no children or others were injured, the man was still charged with a crime. See
In Clear Lake, Minnesota and other cities, parents place their children in day care center with the hope and expectation that the children will receive care in a nurturing, clean, and safe environment. Unfortunately, children in Minnesota are abused, neglected, and injured in Minnesota day care centers. Some children even suffer serious personal injuries or die as a result of poor care or criminal acts in a day care center. In Clear Lake, Minnesota, a Ham Lake (Minnesota) man – Joshua Paul Emery – was sentenced to 6 years of prison for an incident that took place at a day care center. Emery punched a 3 year old girl enrolled in the program because she was crying. The trauma was this punch caused her bowel to perforate which in turn required surgery. Emery was charged and subsequently he pleaded guilty to the criminal charges of assault.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a man tried to abduct / kidnap a 4 year old boy from a Charlotte gym while the boy’s father was working out. The gym provided for day care services for members. While the boy’s father was working out, a man came to the day care center part of the gym and told the attendant that he was a friend of the boy’s father (work out partner) and that he was there to pick up the boy. As the attendant was gathering the boy’s belongs, the boy stated that the man was not his father and that he did not know the man. The attendant then informed the man that the attendant would need to contact the father before releasing the boy out of the care and custody of the gym’s day care program.
The New Hampshire Bureau of Child Care Licensing is the state agency responsible for licensing, inspecting, and regulating day care center and child care centers in the State of New Hampshire. According to a recent news story reported in the Eagle Tribune Online, many day care centers are cited with serious violations of state day care centers. Unfortunately, many of these violations cause or eventually lead to the cause of serious child personal injuries to New Hampshire children.