Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Kevin Leach, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
When parents drop their kids off for day care in Vermont, how can they make sure they will be safe?
The State of Vermont is in responsible for the licensing and oversight of child care centers. There are seven inspectors statewide, and each year they conduct 1,200 visits and find roughly 890 violations. Last year 10 child care centers were shut due to violations.
Statistics prove that three out of 10 children require medical treatment as a result of an accident. In fact, more children die each year from injury related accidents than from any other cause. Most of these injuries can be prevented. Jeanette Fisher, a licensing field specialist, said parents should not be afraid to make a surprise visit to their child’s day care center. Parents should inspect their day care to make sure the following safety measures are met and maintained:
– telephone numbers for the police, fire department, hospital, ambulance and poison control center are posted by each telephone
– fire detectors are in working order
– stairwells are closed off with properly installed gates
– electrical outlets have plastic covers
– furniture and equipment are free of splinters, rusty nails and lead paint
– the first aid kit is within easy reach and is completely stocked
– proper supervision
Most Vermont child care centers are safety conscious and will welcome a parent’s inspection. However, a center that does not allow a parent to inspect the premises for safety concerns or does not remedy any concerns after repeated requests by the parent to do so should be reported to the local licensing board. For more information, see
Inspecting day care centers.