What are my responsibilities to make sure that parents use appropriate car safety seats, and what can I do to encourage them to use such seats?
When a parent or guardian signs a child out of a child care program they are resuming full responsibility for the child, so a child care provider cannot be held liable for negligence regarding lack of a car seat in the family’s personal car. Yet this is also a difficult moral issue because there is a clearly stated law regarding the use of car seats for children and families who don’t use car seats are putting their young child at risk for serious injury or even death. To address this, child care providers should make sure they have the car seat law posted in a prominent place where everyone can see it upon entering or leaving the child care setting. Remind parents of the law and the fines imposed for breaking it. Provide them with information about the reason for the law, which is to protect children from serious injury and death. For free posters (including one which states the California law about car seat use) or brochures about car seat safety, visit www.safelyonthemove.sdsu.edu o
