When parents place their children in the care of an experienced daycare center, they never expect the worst to happen. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to the parents of a young daughter whose life was tragically lost while at a suburban day care center. A 3-month old child named Tessa McDaneil died while in the care of Tender Harts, a daycare center that is operated out of a residence located in Lombard. The parents filed a lawsuit alleging negligence on the part of the daycare workers. They claim that the child was unattended when she suffered a serious injury that ultimately led to her death.
The attorneys representing the couple claim that the young infant was left alone for over a half hour before the daycare staff realized that she wasn’t breathing. While it’s likely she suffered an injury while at the daycare, the exact cause of death has not yet been determined. As supporting evidence for the lawsuit, the attorneys pointed out that one of the owners, Jason Hart, was attempting to supervise over 20 children by himself. This ratio is in violation of a state law that indicates how many children can be safely supervised by a single staff member at a single time.
The attorney made a statement saying that the laws that govern the supervision of children exist for a reason. They claim that the laws are in place to prevent tragedies like this one specifically from happening.
Further investigation revealed that this is not the first time the daycare center had received complaints regarding its practices. In fact, the Department of Children and Family Services is currently investigating over a dozen potential violations that have been committed by Tender Harts. Many of these complaints specifically target the number of children allowed in a group daycare setting and the number of staff available to watch these children.
The lawsuit is looking for damages in excess of $50,000. The parents and their attorneys claim that the lawsuit is looking to draw attention to issues surrounding child safety. The ultimate goal is to prevent tragedies like the one Tessa McDaniel suffered from ever happening to another child.
