What are the Dangers in Child Care Centers in Dallas?

Childcare Dallas

Dallas is located in north central Texas. It is one of the hottest regions in the country during summer months. Dallas has a humid subtropical climate where warm summer winds create temperatures well over 100 F. The heat index can soar as high at 117 F. Conditions can be very harsh in Dallas and people work hard for a living.

Working parents with children have little choice in their decision to use childcare centers. Unless you are fortunate enough to have local grandparents willing and eager to watch your children, childcare centers are not an option. They are a necessity.

When you entrust your child to a childcare center you might assume that state and local licensing rules protect your child from dangers in the childcare center environment. That is not the case.

Parents need to do their own homework before placing their children in childcare centers.

Child predators, criminals and sex offenders are not allowed to work at childcare centers. That does not mean they aren’t there. Childcare centers in Dallas do sometimes hire people with criminal records.

In addition, parents are often unaware of events that happen in their child’s care center because they don’t know what to look for. They don’t know the criminal record status of the help. They cannot read children’s minds and know when an infant has been left for hours in a baby swing. They don’t know if there are guns in the house. They don’t know where caustic chemicals are stored.

States inspections vary in frequency and childcare centers in Dallas often know when the inspectors will arrive. The best inspectors are parents who drop in occasionally, unexpectedly and observe what happens when no one is looking.

If a parent goes online and does their research, the dangers of childcare centers becomes quite apparent. The internet is riddled with such stories and you can check your state regulatory websites for incident reports such as:

·         Day care employee places a 3-year-old in a closet as a form of discipline

·         Day care employee slapped at least one child in the face

·         Director of a child care center for 23 children was sleeping and had to be woken up by an inspector

·         Director of child care center had blood alcohol limit twice the legal level of intoxication

Parents should ask if the child care center is licensed with the state, will the provider give references, does anyone (including the facility) have a criminal record, is the provider trained in early childhood education and first aid, what activities will the child be doing all day and are parents welcomed to visit.

Parents should visit the childcare center and watch interactions between the staff and children. Talk to other parents whose children attend the center.