By David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
After a little girl died this past summer, the CPR training procedures in Minnesota are being called into question. After Hannah Kozitza, 4, died from choking on a grape in her North Mankato day care center, Minnesota’s CPR procedures started to be investigated. Child advocates criticize the state’s procedures go far enough to save a child’s life. Hannah’s day care center was fined for not following proper CPR procedure when a day care employee called Hannah’s parents before calling 9-1-1. Surprisingly, under Minnesota law, the center’s employees that attempted to help Hannah were not required to be trained in CPR. All that Minnesota law requires is that one person in a child care center must be trained, regardless of the number of children the center cares for. If you would like to read more on this topic please see Child safety advocates criticize Minnesota CPR training procedures in day care centers.
Although Minnesota does not require all day care workers to be CPR certified, some states, such as Wisconsin, do require to be trained in CPR. Even if a particular state or day care center does not require day care employees to be trained in CPR, employees should take it upon themselves to be trained in CPR. Those who work with children and have children under their care have a duty to ensure the children’s safety and well-being. The more day care employees who are trained in CPR, the better the employees will be able to asses and handle choking situations, and, thus, your children will be in a safer environment.