In-Home Daycare Centers Can Fail To Protect Against Sexual Predators

This week we covered the shocking story of a 40-year-old man who pled guilty to sexually assaulting two toddlers at his mother’s in-home daycare center in Seguin, Texas. According to court documents and the Seguin Gazette, the man took advantage of the girls when his mother was out of the house doing chores or busy in another part of the building. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for continuous child sexual assault.

The 25th Judicial District Attorney Heather Miller, who has also handled several similar cases of daycare abuse, told the media that while many in-home daycare providers offer safe and healthy services for children with working parents, others expose children to dangerous sexual predators.

While larger daycare often closely restrict outsiders from entering the facility or interacting with the children, in-home daycares often expose children to friends, family members, other children’s parents, and any number of other people. An in-home child care provider is much more likely to leave the home or leave the children with someone else for a few minutes while they tend to chores or errands, and there could even be other people living or working in the home throughout the day.

How can you protect your children against the danger of sexual predators at in-home childcare centers? First and foremost, ask the in-home provider who lives in the home and who will interact with your child during any given day. Next, research the daycare center and look for any past violations of Texas childcare regulations. Finally, be alert and act on any suspicious you might have as time goes on.

If your child has been sexually abused at an in-home daycare, you should speak with a Texas daycare abuse attorney immediately.