San Marcos Preschool Injuries and Prevention: What to Know

Parents who have young children in preschool entrust these early childhood education programs to keep their kids safe in a learning environment. While preschool can provide important socialization and other skills for young children before they enter kindergarten, preschools, and daycare centers can also be places where kids sustain serious and preventable injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), preventing injuries in preschools and daycare centers should be a primary focus of early care and education (or ECE) providers. Yet just a moment of distraction or a failure to attend to an injury risk immediately can result in serious child injuries at preschools.

What should you know about preschool injuries, prevention, and liability? Our San Marcos personal injury lawyers are here to help, and we can provide you with more information.

Common Causes of Preschool Injuries

Preschool injuries can happen in many different ways, from slips and falls while on playgrounds to accidents involving choking or poisoning. The CDC cites many different types of child injuries that occur in preschool settings, including but not limited to the following:

• Falls that result in broken bones, concussions, and contusions, including slips and falls while running or falls on playgrounds;
• Cuts and lacerations while doing creative activities or crafts;
• Pedestrian accidents, including collisions with automobiles, especially on preschool field trips;
• Choking accidents during mealtimes or when preschool children put objects in or near their mouths;
• Accidental poisonings that occur when preschool children consume hazardous substances or otherwise encounter hazardous substances;
• Burns caused by encounters with hot surfaces or electrical lines, including electrical outlets;
• Medication-related injuries due to mistakes in administering medicines that preschool children require; and/or
• Contusions, cuts, and related injuries caused by aggressive encounters between children.

Planning for Injuries to Prevent Future Harm

When injuries happen in preschools, the preschool and/or one of the instructores can be liable. Preschools and other ECE providers have a duty to ensure that the facilities are safe for children and to ensure that they are properly monitored in order to prevent injuries.

According to a report from the UCSF California Childcare Health Program, one of the best ways to prevent injuries is to, in effect, plan for them ahead of time and eliminate conditions that are likely to result in child injuries. In order to do this effectively, ECE providers should keep detailed notes of every child injury that occurs and requires attention, even injuries as minor as those requiring “a bandage or a cold compress.” Then, the ECE provider and its employees can identify child injury patterns and take steps to remedy them before others occur.

Contact a San Marcos Personal Injury Attorney Today

Nobody wants to think about the risks of preschool injuries when they drop their children off in the morning before heading to work, yet preschool injuries are somewhat common. Although many child injuries that occur in preschool and daycare settings are relatively minor and heal with limited medical attention, some of these injuries are severe and can result in lifelong consequences. If your child was injured at a preschool in San Marcos or elsewhere in Southern California, it is important to seek advice from one of our experienced San Marcos personal injury lawyers. Contact the Walton Law Firm to learn more about your options for holding a preschool accountable and seeking compensation to help with your child’s care and rehabilitation.

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