Neglect At Daycare
Jmollo28
member
I am so mad right now. My DS is 2. He stayed at home with my husband until his 2nd birthday, at which time we decided we were ready to put him into daycare and both of us work full time. (my son still doesn't talk, speech delay)- so we were very worried of course. We did our walk through, met the director, checked out the place and got a list of all of the rules, regulations, etc. What to expect from them, what to expect from us.
So, first day comes and we called twice to check on him. Both times, the teacher (sounding very frustrated) said.. well, he's been crying all day and won't eat much.. but that is to be expected, its his first day. It will be ok.. I promise. So we dropped him off at 730 am and picked him up at 515pm. Note, when we walked in, my son was crying and had puffy eyes as if he'd been crying all day and he was immedaitely ready to GTH out of there. So, we talked to the teacher, and she verified that he was "starting to get a rash" exact words.. he was "starting" to get a rash.. and she had to put A & D ointment on him, which was already breaking the rules of the contract. Luckily, my son isnt allergic to A & D. So, we get home and I go to change his diaper and I am crying my eyes out.. my baby had SEVERE .. like 2nd degree friction burns on the inside of his thights from basically chafing. So, we called the daycare to try and get an explanation but the teacher was out and the director said she would have to ask and they'd call us the next day. The next day, we ahd to take him to the dr. The rash had become scabbed and blistered and he had to get steroid/burn cream and the dr was even in shock of how bad the rash was. He verified.. rash was from being outside in the heat in a very wet diaper. So, I had a friend who said.. hey Jenn, you need to count your diapers (since we had to supply our own diapers, creams, pillows, clothes etc) - Needless to say, we stopped by the daycare and picked up his stuff and showed them pictures and said.. we will not be back and we want a refund. Refund granted, no issues, no arguments they apologized, but found out the director never reported it.
so I called the licensing phone number to verify that my son had an injury at daycare. We emailed them a picture and they immediately were like, contact CPS right away. I called and sent them pictures and it was escalated to a supervisor. His rash was unreal at this point.. like he'd been lit on fire between his legs literally. So, cps had to meet with my husband and I and had to meet with the daycare.
We called today to verify (as its been 3 weeks and I've heard by rumors that the teacher is still actively working there) - that CPS deemed this to be an "unfortunate coincidence" .. Are you kidding me? We counted diapers, he was changed 2 times in 9 hours, they used ointment on him which was against their licensing regulations, we weren't informed of his rash - again against regulations and it was a coincidence based on the percentage of kids that were happy and healthy, and my 1 child who was neglected! I am so furious.
Has anyone had any similar problems? What do do? I want the preschool teacher fired or at least moved to a different age group. If you cannot change diapers and cannot follow regulations. What if my son had died? then would it be an unfortunate coincidence?
Needless to say, wont trust another daycare
Re: Neglect At Daycare
I will say that my son switched daycares at age 2, and he had a difficult transition. He came home one day wearing the same diaper he was wearing that morning. I was very upset. The next morning, I discussed it with his teachers. They were concerned because he refused to drink or eat, so his diaper was dry all day. It was a stressful situation, and we worked together to help him adjust.
He has happily attended this same daycare for the past 3 years, and all my concerns have been taken seriously. There are many wonderful daycares out there.
also I would make sure you talk with the teacher before you start (not the director) about when you expect to be called and when you don't. Some parents only want calls when their kid has an issue that requires mandatory pick ups (ex fever, vomiting twice) but you can talk to the teacher and let her know that if your kid gets a bad rash or cries for 4 hours or whatever you want to be called.
finally! you need to expect a rough transition just bc of the age of your child, even if the center is awesome.
I'm sorry you went through such a rough time, though. That is very unfortunate.
For example with one of my children diaper ointment is a huge issue because of allergies. You can't give or put anything on them without written consent or it being brought with them most places
(Mine are in private home sitter, for this reason though... DS #1 has all sorts of random allergies)
Hey there, the diaper ointment wasn't my concern. I'm glad she put something on him, but it was against the regulations of the daycare. The diaper changes, the regulation is to change every 2 hours.. whether wet or not. I think her neglect wasn't so much of what happened, but the fact that she didnt call my husband or I to say,hey.. your child, we came in fromt outside and his legs look very burnt and painful. It was like she covered it up.
My son starts a daycare school that is part time on August 18, I think it will be a much smoother transition and the preschool is focused more on art and projects, versus playing outside. The daycare I went to reminded me of a baby factory, there were just children running wild everywhere. LOL
we've moved past it, but come to find out that there was just nothing that was done. Nothing. I just hope another child doesn't have to go through what we went through. It's scary.