Common Signs that Abuse in Daycare is Happening

There is no one, universal sign that daycare abuse is going on. Most often, parents have an instinct that something is wrong and several different changes in their children’s behaviors lead them to suspect that there may be abuse. The emotional signs that children give are sometime hard to interpret. Even if your child is adamant about not going to daycare to the point of throwing temper tantrums and other dramatic behavior, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s sometimes wrong with the daycare or the people that work there.

There are some signs to watch out for, however, that are very similar to what you would expect from an adult who was under incredible amounts of stress. Children who are dealing with daycare child abuse, for instance, may be very hard to engage emotionally. They may seem emotionally flat and uncharacteristically withdrawn for their age. In other instances, just the opposite may be true. They may cling to you as if they’re scared of something they’re not talking about, which is exactly the case. You have to pay attention to your child to determine which behaviors are abnormal. Some children are natural loners and others are clingy in general.

Like adults, children may start behaving erratically when they’re under stress. They may have emotional outbursts, start hitting or touching other children inappropriately or they may suddenly seem sullen or even terrified. Combined with other emotional signs of abuse, these things all point to a child being under an enormous amount of stress, which is not normal. Abuse in daycare doesn’t always leave physical marks, so it’s important to keep an eye out and to make sure that your child isn’t showing emotional signs of abuse.

Physically, daycare abuse will leave marks that depend on the type of abuse being visited upon the child. The marks that come with general physical abuse include those consistent with assault. Bruises on the arms, shoulders and neck and, in children, on the buttocks are signs that something is wrong with the facility or someone who works there. If you see physical bruises and other injuries you cannot account for, visit your doctor. Doctors can oftentimes identify the telltale signs of abuse, both physical and sexual. If you have been the victim of a facility that was abusive, contact an attorney to see if you have legal options available.

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