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Day care center and babysitter sex abuse is an unfortunate reality. Just last month, a Brooklyn, New York couple was arrested after trying to open a home day care/baby sitting service for the sole purpose of sexually abusing infants and young children.
The FBI arrested the couple in a New Jersey motel where the two thought they were meeting young children. The arrest was part of an FBI sting operation. (Source: www.abc.com-Brooklyn couple arrested in child abuse plot).
Parents should be aware that sexual predators will seek employment where they have access to children. Day care centers, schools, babysitting services are all fair game to a sexual predator.
Here are three things parents of young children should consider:
1. Beware of day care centers operated out of a private home, especially without licenses.
Home day care situations are very important for many parents. Some parents rely on these kinds of day care situations every day. However, where a home day care situation has more than 5-6 children per adult (depending on the age of the children), and with multiple people in the home, parents should look for signs of responsibility, such as:
- completion of child education classes,
- current licenses, if required by state law,
- background checks of employees, and
- training of employees about recognizing sex abuse.
In addition, parents should not be afraid to discuss sex abuse with the caretaker(s). Ask whether other adults or older children will have any access to the child (when and under what circumstances, and the backgrounds of those individuals). Also, simply letting a would-be sex abuser know that you understand signs and symptoms of sexual abuse may make the abuser less likely to engage in the acts.
2. Pay attention to how your child acts.
Any sudden, unexplained changes in behavior may indicate problems at day care. Common signs of sex abuse include obvious things like injury or marks on private parts and/or mouth, sudden bed wetting, persistent nightmares, persistent aggression, or not wanting any physical touch. While sex abuse is rare, it does occur and parents must be able to identify and respond to signs of sexual abuse.
3. If your child is old enough, discuss appropriate touching and inappropriate touching.
Parents may want to explain the rules and how grown ups and other children are allowed to interact by way of physical touch. Designations such as under clothes, special body parts, and saying “no,” are all important ways a parent can discuss permitted touching with their children. Read more school sex abuse prevention and detection tips for parents.
Related day care sex abuse articles:
- School Policies re: Sex Abuse of Students – The Importance of Training and Education
- Sex Abuse & Disabled Children – Tips for Parents
- School & Daycare Liability for Negligent Supervision of Students Resulting in Sex Abuse
Day Care & School Sex Abuse Lawyer. Representation by a Former Prosecutor
Firm founder, Guy D’Andrea, is a former sex crimes unit prosecutor who now represents victims of sexual abuse in the civil courts. Read more about PA and NJ sex abuse lawyer Guy D’Andrea here. For more information about day care or school sex abuse cases, click here.
Our attorneys serve sex abuse victims in the following areas: Allegheny County, PA; Berks County, PA; Bucks County, PA; Chester County, PA; Delaware County, PA; Lehigh County, PA; Montgomery County, PA; Northampton County, PA: Philadelphia County, PA; Atlantic County, NJ; Burlington County, NJ; Camden County, NJ; Cumberland County, NJ; Gloucester County, NJ; Salem County, NJ; New Castle County, DE; he County, DE; Atlantic City, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Newark, NJ; Doylestown, PA; Media, PA; West Chester, PA; Norristown, PA; Camden, NJ; Wilmington, DE; Newark, DE; Georgetown, DE; and New Castle, DE. Our lawyers can obtain special admission in other states such as New York and Delaware on a case by case basis.
**This website does not provide legal advice. Every case is unique and it is crucial to get a qualified, expert legal opinion prior to making any decisions about your case. See the full disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
