Accident at daycare - need advice and input

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I know I don't post much lately, but I was hoping I could get some advice here. Yesterday, my daughter was at preschool and I got a call saying that she cut her hand on some glass. They told me that she picked up a piece of broken glass that she dropped and cut her hand pretty bad. I picked her up and took her to children's hospital, where she had to get three stitches in her finger.

At first, I wasn't upset with them exactly, I know that accidents happen and things often happen faster than you can react, and I just wanted to get Lyra better. However, after the trauma of her being in the ER for 3 hours last night and getting stitches put in (they gave her anesthetic, of course, but because it was in an awkward spot she still felt a bit of pain) I am feeling differently.

Should I just let this incident go and trust that they are good caregivers? Lyra loves going to "school" there and is always happy when she gets there. This could just be a one time accident that no one could have prevented. On the other hand, it was a pretty serious injury and I am very upset that my daughter has to go through so much pain. What would you do?

[Karen]

I would ask why they anything glass available for kids to use, and if this is something they will prevent in the future by having plastic instead. It was just an accident, but a preventable one. You cannot change what happened, but you can prevent it from happening again to another child.

[moosmom]

I'd ask questions as to WHY there was ANY glass near children? Where were the people supervising these kids??? I'd also go in person with a copy of the ER records AND the bill, asking them to pay for it. This was TOTALLY unavoidable.

My daughter was in a private home for daycare when she was little. She fell off the bed and hit her head on a rabbit cage. She has a little scar above her left eye (she's now 35). The daycare provider was very apologetic, saying she was taking a nap and fell off the bed in her sleep. I wanted to know WHY an animal cage was anywhere near the bed. Keep in mind, this was way back in the 70's when daycare wasn't being as regulated as it is now.

I hope Lyra's boo-boo is better.

[Taz_Zoee]

Karen and Donna both asked the question I was going to ask. Why was glass where the kids could get to it? I worked in day care for 12 years and we never had glass around the kids. Every dish from the kitchen was plastic.
Is this a center or a private home day care? Not that it matters either way.

I also agree that the day care should pay the medical bills. And they should never use glass again. Let this be their lesson. I'm just sorry it had to be your daughter to teach this lesson.

I hope Lyra feels better soon. I'm so sorry it was so painful for her.

[prechrswife]

Is it a Montessori preschool? I know that they believe in using "real" glasses, etc. with the children. Most other schools/daycares would not usually have glass around where children could handle it.

I would definitely speak to them about paying your medical bill. That said, I think I would ask myself if there is a pattern of things with the daycare that I was uncomfortable about or if this is the first incident. If it seems to be an isolated event, I would treat it as such. If it is part of a pattern, I would be looking elsewhere.

[catnapper]

I'd just want to know why glass was used, and how should they go about reimbursing your copay for hte ER visit. They also have insurance for that.

Once I was satisfied with their answer on those two questions, send her back to where she's happy and figure it was just an accident.

It could be that the piece of glass was in the play yard. It could have been there for years, or just last night after a couple teenagers threw a beer bottle out of their car. Some things just happen despite how dilligent the school may be.

[sasvermont]

My best friend here in Vermont runs a daycare from her home. She uses plastic everything. Even the babies bottles have rubber around them in case the bottle falls on the floor.

I know that accidents happen and sometimes children "get into things" they shouldn't but I would ask for an explanation in detail. If they are at fault (and it seems they MUST be) they should: correct the problem, make sure it is reported to the authorities, pay for the hospital/emergency room out of pocket and also give you a copy of the report they are sending to the authorities. I assume even small daycare providers in your state have some oversight. If, for some reason, they don't have any oversight, I would find a school/daycare that does. The rules etc. are there to prevent things like this from happening. They should be shaking in their shoes over this.

I love kids dearly and hope that all parents require their child's daycare folks to be top notch and ever so careful with their children.

I would take this event as an example of how the caregivers monitor the children. Poorly comes to mind. Sorry for being so blunt, but this is serious stuff!

Keep us posted and I hope your little one recovers quickly without a lot of discomfort!

[pomtzu]

I agree with everyone else. I would demand (in a nice way), a full account of exactly how this incident happened, and also to know why anything glass is where the children have access to it. If they do use glass, rather than plastic, I would make it known that you disapprove, and suggest to them that they make a switch to avoid any further accidents. If that's not an option they choose, then I'd have to be looking elsewhere for a different daycare. Tho Lyra's injury was bad, it could have been a whole lot worse. They most definitely should reimburse you for any out of pocket expense that you incurred because of them.

Good luck, and I hope Lyra forgets all about it soon.

[Husky_mom]

I only read the first post before my response..

first off, and I bet all before me have asked the same, why was there ANY glass in there?.. if it was something she found, maybe they hadn´t noticed.. but they said it was something she had and dropped then picked up.. so they SAW she had something made of glass..

yes, accidents happen way too fast.. my kid was also involved in one while in preschool..

they should have insurance and THEY should cover ALL the expenses.. Dr., ER, meds, etc. etc.. it´s the right thing to do as it happen in THEIR facilities..

other than that.. like you said.. accidents happen and we don´t want anything to happen to our kids ever.. but it should not be a matter of making a huge deal.. just ask them to take responsibility of what happened.. it´s just the right thing to do..

hope she feels better soon.. hugs to her .. awww..

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Thanks for your replies everyone, and your well wishes. Lyra is doing ok today, and hopefully heals up fast.

It is a Montessori preschool, and they do have some small glass objects in the classroom, which is where she got it. I'm really torn because on the one hand, we pay a lot of money for good care and even though it could have happened fast, it could have also been a case of no one watching well enough. I'm also upset that no one has bothered to call or even email me today to ask how she is. However, it has been very good up until this point. Lyra has really thrived and enjoyed herself there...I'm still not sure what to do as far as keeping her there or moving her, but I am going to talk to the center about some of the things you all brought up.

[sparks19]

I wouldn't pull her out without talking to them first. If it's an isolated incident and she is really thriving there I might be willing to give a second chance based on how they explain themselves when you talk with them.