The Stakes Couldn’t be HigherBack to School Safety picture of mom and kids with backpacks crossing the street to get to school

Texas recoiled in horror in late September 2018 when Rebecca Anderson, owner of Becky’s Home Child Care in Mesquite, TX, was arrested for child endangerment after police discovered three children at the center tied to car seats and placed in a closet with the door closed and the lights off. Ms. Anderson’s own statements indicated that the children had probably been drugged with sedatives during their ordeal.

It’s every parent’s nightmare. And while very few of the state’s day care centers have ever descended into the criminal behavior described above, day care abuse is likely to happen again somewhere at some point. It is critical that you do everything you can to make sure it isn’t your child who falls victim to any form of daycare abuse. Following is a game plan:

Do your homework

The first stage of your daycare investigation should be completed before you even contact a particular center. Texas Child Care Licensing (CCL) regulates all child care operations in Texas in accordance with strict state licensing standards. Perform Internet research on their website and any other sources you can find (forums, etc.) to make sure that every day care center on your shrinking shortlist:

• Is currently licensed;
• enjoys a good disciplinary record with the CCL;
• requires all of its caregivers to be licensed (all caregivers, not necessarily all staff – a cook is not necessarily a caregiver, for example)
• performs background checks on every member of its staff, including non-caregivers;
• enjoys a good online reputation; and
• is spoken well of by parents who have used the facility, if you can locate these parents using information you pick up from the Internet.

Talk to the Manager

The next stage of your investigation can be done over the phone or by email. Make sure, however, that you are speaking with a responsible representative of the day care center, not the gardener or even a teacher. You will need to inquire about:

• The staff/child ratio. It should be low, ideally about 3 to 1, and all three should be caregivers rather than support staff.
• Whether the center offers an organized program of activities and/or education.
• What kind of food and drinks are provided.
• Whether rest time is provided and how it is supervised.
• Whether the center has a nurse available and whether there is a first aid kit.
• Whether the school has suffered any recent safety incidents.
• Whether the center is monitored by CCTV. Are all areas covered?
• How discipline is enforced.
• Whether there is an open-door policy for parents. It’s a big red flag if parents are restricted to limited visiting hours.
• Any other questions you see fit to ask.

Visit the Center Yourself

Take a look around and note:

• The general atmosphere of the facility. Is it a fun place?
• What is the staff/child ratio?
• Do staff seem to be enjoying their jobs, or are they just going through the motions?
• Are there any safety issues? All doors should be glass, for example, to prevent any child from wandering outside the view of the staff.

Take you child there and find out how he/she reacts to the environment. If you get the chance, talk to some other parents you see there.

Don’t ignore warning signs

Since this is a situation where the consequences of naivete can be far more serious than the consequences of paranoia, resolve to err on the side of caution. Remember, you’re not accusing anyone of anything, you’re just deciding in the privacy of your own mind what you think of the place. Reasonable suspicion should be enough to make you think twice. Some potential warning signs include:

• One of more of the employees gives you “the creeps.”
• The caregivers seem surly or mean
• There are people at the facility, or hanging around nearby, who have no apparent reason to be there.
• The facility has “bad vibes.”

Your investigation shouldn’t end when you enroll your child -- keep your eyes open

Take note of some of the red flags that might indicate your child is suffering from abuse:

• Unexplained phobias
• Fear or antipathy towards going to the daycare center
• Mood swings
• Unexplained changes in behavior
• Aggressive behavior
• Infantile behavior (unless your child is an infant)
• Bed-wetting (if there was no problem before enrollment)
• Toilet-training regression
• Anything that your gut instinct tells you isn’t right.

Contact a Dallas Daycare Abuse Lawyer Today

You are never more vulnerable that when you entrust the care of your child to a stranger. If your child has suffered daycare abuse or neglect, or if you even suspect that something inappropriate is going on, you owe it to yourself and your child to act immediately. Call Rasansky Law Firm at 214-651-6100 for a free initial consultation, so that we can listen to your story and answer your questions. And yes, you can afford us -- our fees are zero unless you win.

Speak With a Dallas Daycare Abuse Lawyer For Free

The attorneys at Rasansky Law Firm are happy to speak to you about your potential case free of charge. If we can help with your claim, we'll do so for no out-of-pocket cost to you. Call us 24/7 at (214) 617-1886.

Request a free consultation below

Mesquite Home Daycare Owner Charged with 9 Counts Child Abandonment, Endangerment, and Negligence

Rebecca Anderson, owner and operator of Becky’s Home Child Care, a state licensed home daycare in Mesquite, TX was arrested Sunday for charges of child endangerment having been accused of keeping infants and toddlers medicated and tied to car seats in a dark room.

image of toddler boy who has red eyes from crying representing daycare abuse

Do you suspect child abuse at you child's daycare? Get help now!

Police were tipped off by a concerned parent who secretly attached a camera to their child’s car seat which recorded Anderson yanking their son out of a car seat by his foot, administering an unknown substance from a syringe, then being picked up off the floor by a bib attached to his neck.

Police executed a search warrant raiding the daycare on Friday about 1:30 p.m. allegedly finding 3 children in the master bedroom closet, strapped in plastic car seats with the door shut and the lights off. A total of nine children were found in the home, despite Anderson having told police there were only 5, all tied with ligatures, of what police describe as cotton shoelaces, around their necks.

Anderson initially denied the use of any medication but her story changed when she was shown the secret video, admitting she’d "likely given Tylenol to all of the children… to make them stop crying and to make her job easier." She additionally told police she used the ligatures to prevent the children from getting out of the car seats.

Anderson is being held at the Dallas County Jail with a $45,000 bail. She is charged with nine counts of  “abandon, endanger child criminal negligence.”

State records show that Becky’s Home Child Care had been inspected twice over the past 3 years and that the only deficiency reported was failure for not having an appropriate emergency preparedness plan in 2016.

Keonna Oliver, the grandmother of a child previously cared for by Anderson, said that she had done her due diligence when looking for a care facility for her 2-year-old grandson and that the 5-star rating and awards of Becky’s Home Child Care had been the reason the home daycare was chosen.

Oliver’s grandson Tristan had gone to Becky’s home Child Care for 14 months before being removed for scheduling reasons. However, Oliver states that during that time, Triston did come home with some bruises, rashes, and scrapes. She states, “I was suspicious but we didn't have proof”. “Anything we asked her about she would smooth it over.” She said Anderson would reply,” He played really hard today, I didn't notice it”. Oliver said, “You think home daycare, you think safe, like home and it turned out to be something totally different and we're so disappointed.”

If you suspect abuse or neglect at your child's daycare, don't wait to seek help. We work strictly on a contingency bases so you never have an upfront, out-of-pocket expense. Call Rasansky Law Firm for a free review of your case.

Child abuse is a serious problem in this country, and one which deserves more attention than it currently receives.

In the US alone, nearly 700,000 children suffer from abuse and neglect every year. This April we ask that you consider either volunteering your time, or helping spread awareness through social media or the Blue Ribbon Campaign.

Prevent Child Abuse

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

The first federal child protection legislation was passed in 1974 in an effort to provide funding for the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse and neglect. Even though the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) has been amended numerous times over the years, its intent has not changed.

Congress made an additional commitment toward identifying and implementing solutions to the problem of child abuse. As a result, in 1982, both the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives designated the week of June 6-12 as the first National Child Abuse Prevention Week. The following year, the entire month of April was declared the first National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and since that time, various activities related to child abuse and neglect have been promoted during each April throughout the country.

The agency responsible for coordinating Child Abuse Prevention Month, as well as providing information and releasing the latest national statistics on child abuse and neglect, is the Children's Bureau — a division of the Administration for Children & Families.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign to Prevent Child Abuse first began in 1989. It started as a tribute to a child who died as the result of abuse, when his grandmother tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her car in order to remember him and make the public aware of the tragedy surrounding child abuse.

Since that time, the campaign has expanded throughout the country with many choosing to wear blue ribbons every April to remember those who have lost their lives to child abuse. Some communities have chosen to hold special fundraisers to help defray the costs of prevention, as well as treatment for victims.

Child abuse statistics in America.

The statistics on child abuse can be quite alarming to say the least. While the majority to child abuse cases are committed by family members, it's important to understand that child abuse also often occurs in daycare centers, at school, or in public. If you're concerned that abuse even MAY be occurring, it's strongly recommended that you report your suspicions to the authorities immediately; especially if you're a mandatory reporter.
National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Our firm has a long history of daycare abuse advocacy, and we feel that allowing these caregivers to get away with abusing the children is the same as condoning the behavior. In order to stop it, we must hold abusers responsible for their actions. This helps not only the individual victim, but can go a long way toward preventing similar abuse in the future.

 

Facts and statistics on daycare child abuse in America.

Daycare Abuse StatisticsChild abuse in America takes on many forms, and the statistics tell a very unsettling story.
According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, more than 3.5 million reports from CPS agencies were received in 2013 alone. These reports involved more than 6.4 million children. The majority of these reports are for neglect, followed by physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and medical neglect trailing closely behind.
In fiscal year 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,700 fatalities resulting from child maltreatment; a 7 percent increase from the 1,589 reported fatalities in 2015. What's worse is that the commission (citing gaps in how data is compiled) suggested that the actual number of abuse-related fatalities may closer to 3,000 a year.
The biggest increase in child-abuse-related deaths was in Texas, where fatalities jumped from 162 in 2015 to 217 in 2016 (a 34 percent increase). In 2017, there were 172 confirmed child abuse and neglect-related fatalities (a 22.5 percent decrease over 2016).
Physical abuse fatalities in 2017 dropped to their lowest numbers since 2010, and decreased by nearly 32% over last year. At least seven children in Texas who died from abuse or neglect in 2017 were being cared for by illegal daycare operations.

Abuse in daycare.

There are thousands of daycare centers in the country that are licensed to care for children. That being said, some of these facilities harbor abusers who have easy access to our children, giving them the opportunity to carry out heinous acts of child abuse.
Data from 2006 (gathered from a collection of 39 states) showed that 5,321 daycare providers were found to be abusing and neglecting children in their care.
Child Abuse Statistics and Demographics:
It’s estimated that boys and girls are equally likely to be victims of child abuse:

Whether a child is being abused at home or at the daycare center that they attend, it’s important that you as a loved one or community member do something to stop these occurrences from happening. Report abuse to your local Child Protective Services as well as the county police so that they can take immediate action to remove the child from harm’s way.
Make sure to document everything, take photos of injuries as well as witness testimony with the help of your lawyer in order to have a strong case against the perpetrators of abuse. In addition, keep an eye out for signs of child abuse such as changes in behavior, aggression, sleeping habits as well as scratches, bumps and bruises that never seem to heal.

Seeking legal recourse for daycare abuse.

Child abuse has the potential to negatively impact a child’s psyche over a long period of time, spilling into other areas of his or her life. Through a daycare abuse lawsuit, your child may be able to recover the compensation needed for therapy and other expenses related to this heinous act of abuse.
Please contact Rasansky Law Firm today at (214) 617-1886 for your free consultation on how we can help punish the perpetrators and recover compensation for you and your family. Our firm takes these cases on contingency, meaning that you never pay a cent unless we actually recover compensation.

RICHFIELD, UT — A 22-month-old child now suffers from permanent brain damage due to asphyxiation allegedly caused by a Utah daycare attendant's negligence.

The daycare worker, 27-year-old Casey Bertelson, is alleged to have stuck the child in a playpen and then barricaded the top with a large picture frame before leaving the toddler unattended. Soon after, the child attempted to move the frame but got his head stuck between the frame and the pen, leading to asphyxiation. The child was reportedly discovered "a number of minutes later."

While the toddler, named Kastyn Tyler Latham, was found unresponsive with no heartbeat by first responders, EMS was luckily able to revive him shortly after their arrival.

Kastyn Tyler Latham Injured at Daycare

22-MO Kastyn Latham

Police involvement.

The event occurred on May 15th at Country Loving Daycare in Richfield, Utah, which is owned by Bertelson's mother. Richfield Police Chief Trent Lloyd expressed sadness over the fact that the event would affect everyone involved for the rest of their lives. While the extent of the boy's injuries were unknown at the time of his statement, Lloyd says that it was clear there would be some kind of brain damage due to the lack of oxygen to the child's brain.

Shortly after the incident, officials brought forward third-degree felony charges against Casey Bertelson for recklessly causing a physical injury on a child. If convicted, Casey could face up to 5 years in jail and a fine.

The family, in an effort to take care of the treatment costs, have set up a GoFundMe page. According to the fundraiser page, they believe is may take "months and possibly years to help get him get to about 75% of where he was before this incident."

Daycare injuries are often caused by negligence.

Child abuse at daycare centers is a common occurrence all over the country, but many of these stories only receive media attention if there is a physical-abuse component. The truth is that the most-common cause of injuries at daycare are the direct result of negligence. Negligence is often invisible until it is too late, which is why it's important to ask your child AND the daycare facility the right questions regarding their welfare, and to stay involved whenever possible.

PLANO, TX — Police have arrested 22-year-old Jazmine Torres, a daycare worker who was seen on video pushing a toddler to the floor this past Friday.

According to the Facebook post which first published the video, the child's mother, Caitlin Gilmore, was observing the childcare facility's live feed during her lunch break on Friday when she saw an employee of the daycare roughly lay her 18-month-old child down for a nap.

Upon seeing her child being abused at daycare, Gilmore left work to retrieve her son immediately. While what she initially saw was not recorded, friends in her office continued watching and luckily recorded the part of the live stream.

The video (which has been viewed over 800,000 times on Facebook alone) shows 22-year-old Jazmine Torres—an employee of Children's Courtyard in Plano, TX—pushing a young child to the floor. Just moments later, Torres picks up the same child and drops him face-first onto a rubber nap mat.

Jazmine Torres Mugshot

Jazmine Torres

Also concerning is the fact that another employee in the back of the shot doesn't appear to be handling the children much better. The second worker appears to flip one child over by pulling her arm, and also appears to pull another toddler by the leg. Gilmore's son was taken to Children’s Health hospital in Dallas for an evaluation. Luckily, doctors say the child is okay.

"Any parent out there, it's going to be something that's just horrific," said Plano police spokesman officer David Tilley. "But any human being to see a toddler treated that way is just, that's just unacceptable."

Torres turned herself in today and now faces one charge of endangering a child, a state jail felony which carries a penalty of 180 days to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. Her bond has been set at $10,000. Police have not said if more charges will be filed.

Children's Courtyard's parent company, Learning Care Group, released the following statement:

"We have strict policies and procedures to ensure the safety and well-being of our children, and to make certain we meet or exceed state guidelines. We don't tolerate deviation from those standards. Upon being made aware of this situation, we immediately notified the authorities and partnered with the state as well as conducted our own investigation. Those involved are no longer employed with us. We will continue to work closely with licensing and reiterate our training processes with all staff. We take our responsibility seriously, and are committed to ensuring our children receive high quality early education and nurturing care."

A history of violations.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) has seen 29 violations at this facility in the past two years alone. Nine of these violations were considered "high risk level" and serious enough to put children at risk.

On Monday morning, CW33 NewsFix showed the video to one father outside the daycare who said he knew nothing about it. While reviewing the video footage, CW33 says he noticed his son asleep just steps away from where the incident took place, and went straight back inside for answers.

Considering legal action against your child's day care due to suspected abuse of a child?

While it's ultimately up to police whether or not criminal charges are pursued in cases of daycare abuse, you may still be able to file a civil claim against the daycare facility in order to seek compensation for the damages your family suffered.

Daycare Abuse Questions

Concerned? Talk to a lawyer.

The majority of the time somebody files a lawsuit against a daycare facility for child abuse, they're suing over negligence on the part of the facility. These cases involve instances where a daycare facility failed in their obligation to keep your child safe, which resulted in injury to your child. This can be due to the daycare not adequately screening their employees and hiring a known abuser, allowing abuse to continue when they should've stopped it, failure to supervise, etc.

Why you should consider talking to a lawyer.

Because there may be time limitations on how long you have to file a claim or lawsuit, you'll want to contact a daycare abuse law firm as soon as possible. Don't wait until you are sure that you want to sue; it may actually be too late by the time you do so. The attorneys at Rasansky Law Firm are more than happy to discuss the facts of your case (and your options moving forward) free of charge when you call (214) 617-1886.

If you find a daycare abuse law firm that takes cases on contingency (like we do at Rasansky Law Firm), this process won't cost you anything and you never pay a dime unless we actually win your case. Seriously. If for some reason we cannot negotiate a fair settlement or lose your case at trial, you literally owe us nothing.

Pursuing a daycare abuse lawsuit.

Your lawyer will need to know the details of your case, but if you don't have them all together for the consultation, don't worry too much about that. You can still meet with us and discuss your case in the broadest terms. We may be able to decide right away if we can help with your case, however in many situations, we may need to do some additional work before we can make that determination.

If an attorney does decide to take on your case, you may or may not have to go to court to have your case heard. In many cases, the facility that you are suing may decide that they want to offer you a settlement instead of going to court. This is not always the case of course, and even then, you'll need to prove up your damages and draft a formal demand in order to have any shot at negotiating a fair settlement. If you have hired an attorney who has successfully sued daycare providers in the past (like we have many times before), you stand a far-better chance at getting a fair settlement offer or wining your case at trial.

Still have questions? Want to discuss the particulars of your case with an attorney? Contact us today via the email form on this page or by calling (214) 617-1886 (toll-free).

Speak With a Dallas Day Care Abuse Attorney For Free

The attorneys at Rasansky Law Firm are happy to speak to you about your potential case free of charge. If we can help with your claim, we'll do so for no out-of-pocket cost to you. Call us 24/7 at (214) 617-1886.

Request a free consultation below

PLANO, TX (06/20/2016) — A Plano man has been arrested after allegedly sexually abusing two children at his mother's home-based daycare.


UPDATE 07/08/2016

A Collin County judge granted the prosecutor's motion to have the case moved back to adult court. The judge also reduced Holifield's bond from $600,000 to $250,000.


UPDATE 07/07/2016

Zachary Holifield appeared in court Wednesday morning, where the judge ruled that the case should be transferred to juvenile court because "some of the allegations go back before Holifield turned 17."

According to police, Holifield was arrested over allegations that he sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl at least three times, and police believe the victim may have been as young as 3 years old when the assaults started. Investigators also revealed there could be at least one more victim.


Zachary Holifield Mugshot

Zachary Holifield

According to the Plano Police Department, 17-year-old Zachary Holifield has been arrested following accusations of child sex abuse involving two children.

Plano police spokesman David Tilley says that Holifield knew the children through a daycare program that his mother ran from home.

Holifield, a 6'7" incoming senior at Plano Senior High, had recently committed to play baseball at Oklahoma State University on a baseball scholarship. Now, police say, he faces two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child as well as one count of indecency with a child by sexual contact.

Holifield is currently being held at the Collin County Jail on a $600,000 bond. We will update this page with more information as it becomes available.

Read more about daycare sex abuse.

[icon name="books" color="accent3" size="17" style=""]Total Recovery: $450,000.00

Daycare Abuse / Wrongful Death

As a champion for the rights of children and parents, Rasansky Law Firm represented (and achieved a settlement for) the parents of a child who choked and died at a local daycare.

As the child choked, the teacher did not notice what was happening until other children started poking at the unconscious child, and after her lips had already turned blue. Instead of instituting CPR or anti-choking measures, the teacher picked up the child and took her down the hall to someone else.

The daycare Administrator admitted that the teacher was not qualified and should not have been in the classroom pursuant to Texas law.

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Total Award: $450,000

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Attorney Fees: $180,000

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Case Expenses: $15,919.01

[button id="" class="" font="16" align="left" link="/case-results/" linkTarget="" bgColor="accent1"]See More Case Results[/button]

FREDERICKSBURG, TX — Parents urged to come forward after Texas daycare employee charged with 14 counts of sexual assault involving children.

Fredericksburg United Methodist Church has shut their daycare center pending an investigation after one of their employees, Seth Batterton, was charged with 12 counts of sexual assault, one count of indecency with a child, and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Fredericksburg Daycare Sexual Abuse

Seth Batterton - Mugshot

Police began their investigation on April 19th, 2016, when one of the children Batterson allegedly abused shared information about her ordeal with Fredericksburg Elementary School officials. Batterson was identified as the boyfriend of the child's mother at the time, and denied touching the child when interviewed by police. Just two days later, on April 21st, 2016, another young girl reported that Batterson had “tickled her private area” while she was attending Methodist Church Daycare.

Police arrested Batterson on April 28th, 2016, and charged him with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Batterson bonded out the next day. On May 16th, 2016, a grand jury indicted Batterson on 14 total charges related to child sex abuse.

Batterson was arrested on May 16th, and his bond was set at $480,000.

It's worth noting that Batterson was previously charged with a similar crime back in 2012, but escaped indictment when the Grand Jury came to the conclusion that "there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him." Daycare officials say that because there was no charge or conviction, it never showed up on his background check. Reports state that the 2012 case has now been reopened.

Statement from the daycare.

Fredericksburg United Methodist Church’s Rev. George Lumpkin said that the safety of children and their families at the center was his top priority. Lumpkin says that as soon as he found out about the allegations, he fired Batterton, banned him from any access to the campus and self-reported the incident to officials.

Police asking for others to come forward.

The Fredericksburg Police Department is appealing to the community to get in touch with them if they know of other victims who may have also been abused by Batterson, by calling (830) 997-7585.

As an advocate for victims of day care child abuse, we ask that ALL parents with children in daycare take this opportunity to speak with your children about abuse. Explain to them that they will NEVER get in trouble for telling on their teachers (or other adults) for making them feel uncomfortable or scared. Abusers often use intimidation to silence their victims, but keeping a supportive and open line of communication with your children is the best way to encourage discussion about this very important topic.

If you suspect that your child has been victimized by a daycare worker, report your suspicions to the police, and the Texas Abuse Hotline, immediately. In addition to criminal charges, your family may be able to sue the abuser and their negligent employer in civil court with the help of a daycare abuse lawyer.

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