As parents, we take good care of our children.  We do everything in our power to keep our children safe.  We don’t want something bad to happen.  An injured infant and toddler is always a tragedy.  Our children have a right to safe, healthy and happy upbringings.

When I was a kid I ran the neighborhood in Zanesville, Ohio.  There was a lake in the middle of the subdivision.  I fished, swam and played baseball everyday in the summer.  My parents often didn’t see me until dinner time.  It is a different world today.  Millions working and single parents place their children in some form of daycare.  These childcare providers are expected to be trustworthy and educated professionals.

How safe are our children?  Let me share you a very informative graphic, “Who is Watching Your Kid?”, from my friend, Mark Bryer in Arizona.  In the child care industry, about 44% of workers had a high school degree or less in 2008.  There are minimal training requirements.  900,000 children are abused or neglected in day care centers each year.  70% of these children are under the age of three years old.  Many students have been abused in schools.  In fact, 4.5 million children suffer sexual misconduct by school employees, from inappropriate comments, to physical abuse each year.  This child abuse could affect the lives of our children or even worst could cost them their life.

Sad to say, that there are still 19 states without any laws regarding the use of restraints and seclusions in schools.  But last year, on the 3^rd day of March, the House passed the “Keeping All Students Safe Act” to protect school children from harmful restraint and seclusion and been re-introduced last April 6, 2011 for bicameral approval.

I know these aren’t happy thoughts, but as parents we need to be aware of these statistics so we can watch out for warning signs of damage to our children.  By being aware a parent can help avoid an injury accident or neglect to their child.

Take action to protect our kids from child accidents.

Just when you think you have heard everything you read a story about the death of a two year old that just turns your stomach. It makes you think how could this happen?

The Rasansky Law Firm out of Dallas, Texas has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the mother of a 2-year-old girl who choked to death at The Woodbridge Day School, a northeast Dallas daycare center, one year ago. The wrongful death lawsuit alleges that the daycare worker had no first aid training and the daycare owned by Neyse and Robert Hall, knew it. According to the lawsuit, employees at the Woodbridge Day School did not notice when 2-year old Isabella Estep started choking on a small rock. The child then collapsed inside the school. Despite employees being all around the unconscious child, five to 10 minutes passed before anyone noticed something was wrong. Tragically, Isabella passed away after being transported to a local hospital.

Now here is where it gets worse. It is alleged that the owners of the daycare sold the daycare a short time after the death. This was in an effort to prevent a report to the Texas licensing board according to the lawsuit. Jeff Rasansky said. “They have not been truthful about their role in this child’s death, and they have taken steps to prevent parents of other children from ever learning about their involvement.”

This is a tragedy that sounds like it could have been prevented on several levels. Those being hiring and training. Also, what procedures were in place for monitoring a two year old? Why was the child put in an area without a care giver where he had access to small rocks?  My sympathies go out to the family. I hope they get the answers they deserve. My daughters were in day cares from the time they were infants so my wife could work. You place your trust and leave our most valued possession with them. It is very sad when a daycare does not live up to the trust you put in them.

We will follow this case as it progresses with hope of preventing this sort of tragedy from happening in Kentucky.