Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Scott Zahler, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning monitors and licenses day care centers in the State of Georgia. This agency released statistics regarding incidents involving the death and / or injury of children in a Georgia day care center. Over the past give years, there have been over 500 major incidents reported involving a Georgia day care center. Of these incidents, it was noted that there were 239 injuries and 8 deaths of children while enrolled in or participating in day care center activities and field trips. These statistics included reported incidents that were on record with the Department. Of course, there were likely a number of incidents involving injuries or dangers at a Georgia day care center that were never reported to authorities. The Department can and does take action regarding dangerous incidents and violations of Georgia laws and regulations. There were 497 severe penalties issues for violations of day care regulations and / or standards. Some child safety advocates do not believe that the Department is doing enough to enforce standards or shut down day care facilities that violate regulations and put children at risk for serious personal injuries and death. It was reported that there is over 6000 licensed day care providers in the State of Georgia. You can read more about this topic at Day Care Problems Reported for Georgia Day Care Centers.
In Virginia and other States, parents rely on day care centers to supervise and educate their children in a safe and closely monitored environment. Unfortunately, some day care centers fail to honor their responsibilities and lose track of children at the day care center, on field trips, or during transportation trips. Since children lack safety awareness and often times have poor judgment in situations of crisis or danger, children, who are left unattended or unsupervised, often times suffer serious personal injuries. Some even die due to lack of proper supervision. It was recently reported that a child went missing from a Norfolk day care center. While the child was ultimately located and did not suffer any injuries except for being scaed and dirty, the fact that he went missing should cause concern for the day care center, parents, and the community. See 
Millions of children participate in youth sports every year. Generally, participating in a team sport is a fun and pleasant experience. It can also be a great learning experience for a child. Team sports can help teach leadership, team work, and sportsmanship. In some instances, participating in youth sports leads to serious personal injuries including but not limited to concussions and traumatic brain injuries. Safety is key to preventing or reducing the severity of head injuries when a child is participating in youth sports.
Tragically, day care centers in the United States have, at times, left children in vans, buses, and at parks on field trips. There is available technology that can help track the whereabouts of a child enrolled in a day care center. Some parents and privacy rights advocates may have a problem with GPS tracking and the technology involved in the same. Other parents and child safety advocates applaud the use of technology as long as it promotes the safety and well being of the children. It should be pointed out that technology is no substitute for proper adult supervision of children; however, additional tools and technology should be utilized if it improves and enhances the supervision in place. It was reported that a day care center in Sweden is using GPS technology to track children enrolled in the day care center. See 
The school year brings with it a need for parents, children, and drivers to exercise good caution and driving for the safety and well being of school aged children. The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and other child safety advocates urge parents and drivers to keep kids safe when they walk to school or are at bus stops. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that over 25,000 children are injured every year as pedestrians. The injuries range from minor personal injuries to traumatic brain injuries to death. Here are some safety tips for children, parents, day care center providers, schools, and others:
In Georgia and other States, children are the unfortunate victims every year of being left alone in a day care center bus or van. In hot weather States including Georgia and Florida, this can be especially dangerous due to the risks of heat exhaustion, dehydration, and hyperthermia. Even leaving a small child in a vehicle for a few minutes can lead to serious personal injuries, and, yes, even death. It was reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution that there were more than 50 incidents of children enrolled in Georgia day care centers who were left in vehicles during a 5 year period. Temperatures climb very rapidly in a vehicle once the vehicle / air conditioning is turned off. It is known that the temperature inside a enclosed vehicle is even hotter than the temperature outside of the vehicle.
In Idaho and other States, there are day care laws and regulations that day care centers must follow. Each State has its own regulations. Some States put in strict regulations while other States put in minimal regulations. Some child safety advocates and experts believe that Idaho’s day care regulations are minimal in nature and need to be changed. In particular, Idaho day care centers will 6 or free children enrolled in the day care program are not required to obtain a license. For larger day care centers in Idaho, licenses are required to be renewed every 2 years. According to a day care center study State by State, Idaho ranked 52nd in the nation (included Puerto Rico and Guam standards as well). See
A South Los Angeles day care center operator was arrested and charged with sexually molesting her 13 year old god son. Chelsea McClelland was found having sex with her god son, in a van parked near the Santa Monica freeway. The South Los Angeles day care operator pleaded no contest to two counts of lewd act on a minor. She was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to register a a sex offender. See