Child Injuries at Daycares, Camps & Rec Facilities
Greater New Orleans Daycare & Camp Injury Lawyer
You trusted them to watch your child. Your child came home hurt — or you got the call no parent wants. What happened, and what do you do now?
When you drop your child at a daycare, a summer camp, an after-school program, or a recreational facility, you're trusting them to keep your child safe. Most of the time, they do. But when a child is hurt because no one was watching, because the place was understaffed, or because a known hazard was ignored, a family deserves real answers. At Bono Law Firm, we've helped more than 6,000 injured Louisianans since 1980, and you talk directly with an attorney named Bono — John C. Bono or Michael P. Bono — not a case manager, and you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. We handle these cases with the care a hurt child deserves — and we know the rules these facilities are supposed to follow.
Some firms are built for volume. Bono Law Firm is built for personal attention.
The rules these facilities are supposed to follow
In Louisiana, licensed child care centers are regulated by the Louisiana Department of Education under Bulletin 137, the state's early learning center licensing rules. Those rules set minimum child-to-staff ratios (for example, one staff member for every six infants), require that a staff member be assigned to and physically present with a specific group of children and know where each child is, mandate at least two staff during water activities, set rules for transportation and head-counts getting on and off vehicles, and require centers to report critical incidents. When a center breaks these rules and a child gets hurt, those violations can be powerful evidence of negligence.
Summer camps and many recreational programs are often license-exempt, so they don't carry the same licensing rules — but they're still bound by the basic duty every caregiver owes: to reasonably supervise the children in their care and keep the premises safe. Whether your child was hurt at a licensed daycare or an unlicensed camp, the core question is the same — did the people in charge fail to do what a careful caregiver would have done?
How children get hurt — and when it's negligence
- Inadequate supervision — a child left unwatched, wandering off, or hurt while staff weren't paying attention
- Understaffing and child-to-staff ratio violations
- Playground and equipment injuries — falls, broken or unsafe equipment, hard surfaces
- Drowning and near-drowning at pools, splash pads, lakes, and on field trips
- Hot-vehicle and transportation injuries — a child left in a van, or a head-count missed
- Allergic reactions and medication errors when a known care plan isn't followed
- Choking, burns, and unsafe food or facilities
- Injuries from another child when staff failed to step in
- Failing to get prompt medical care after an injury
Not every childhood bump is someone's fault — kids get hurt. The question we help you answer is whether this injury came from real carelessness, and whether the facility should be held responsible.
Who can be held responsible
Depending on what happened, a claim can run against the daycare, camp, or facility and its owner, the staff who failed to supervise, or the company that operates it — on theories like negligent supervision, negligent hiring or training, understaffing, and premises liability for an unsafe building, playground, or pool. If defective equipment caused the harm, the manufacturer may be responsible too, under the Louisiana Products Liability Act. We figure out who was responsible and what insurance is available — and we pull the facility's licensing record and any cited violations, which are often public.
What strengthens a child injury claim: the facility's incident report, photos of the injury and the hazard, the names of staff and any witnesses, the facility's staffing and sign-in records, its licensing file and any violations, your child's medical records, and a written timeline of what you were told — while everyone's memory is fresh.
What to do if your child was hurt at a daycare or camp
- Get your child medical care, and follow up. Some injuries — head injuries especially — look minor at first and aren't.
- Ask for a written incident report, and ask exactly what happened, who was supervising, and when.
- Photograph everything — your child's injuries, and the equipment, area, or condition involved.
- Write down names. The staff on duty, the director, and any other parents or witnesses.
- Keep records. Enrollment paperwork, any care plan or allergy form, texts and emails, and the bills.
- Be careful what you sign, and don't give a recorded statement to the facility's insurer before you talk to a lawyer. Call us for an honest read.
Louisiana sets a deadline for these claims — generally two years from the injury (La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1) — and the timing for a child's claim can be its own question. Don't wait to find out; the facility's records and staffing details are easiest to get early.
Not sure if it was anyone's fault?
That's exactly when to call. We'll tell you the truth.
Kids get hurt, and not every injury is a case — we won't pretend otherwise. But if your child was hurt because someone wasn't doing their job, you deserve to know. Call us, tell us what happened, and we'll give you an honest answer for free. If you have a claim worth pursuing, we'll explain it plainly. If you don't, we'll tell you that too. No pressure, no hard sell — just a straight answer from an attorney whose name is on the door. Can't come to us? We make home and hospital visits.
Free Consultation — Call (504) 835-9909Direct attorney access · No fee unless we recover · Se Habla Español
Common questions
Daycare & camp injury FAQ
My child got hurt at daycare — is that automatically the daycare's fault?
No. Children get hurt, and not every injury is someone's fault. The question is whether the facility was careless — too few staff, no one supervising, a known hazard ignored, ratios broken. That's what we help you figure out, and the first call is free.
What if it was a summer camp, not a licensed daycare?
Camps and many recreational programs are often license-exempt, so the state's daycare licensing rules may not apply — but the camp still owes your child reasonable supervision and a safe environment. If it failed at that, you may still have a claim. We'll give you a straight read.
The daycare had me sign a waiver. Does that stop my claim?
Probably not. Louisiana is one of the few states that won't enforce a waiver of liability for a personal injury — Civil Code article 2004 makes those clauses null — and a parent generally can't sign away a child's right to recover for an injury that hasn't happened yet. Don't assume the form you signed at enrollment ended your rights.
Can I see the daycare's inspection or violation history?
Often, yes. Louisiana Department of Education licensing records — including cited violations for things like supervision and staffing — are frequently public, and we know how to obtain them and use them in your case.
What is a child injury case worth?
It depends on your child's actual harm — medical care, any future treatment, and the lasting effect of the injury. We'll give you a realistic picture, not an inflated one, and we'll be honest about it.
How long do I have to file?
Louisiana generally allows two years from the date of injury, though the timing for a child's claim can have its own wrinkles. The safest move is to call early — while the facility's records, staffing logs, and witnesses are still available.
Was your child hurt at a daycare, camp, or recreational facility in Greater New Orleans or Southeast Louisiana? Get an honest answer from a lawyer who'll treat it like it matters.
Direct attorney access · No fee unless we recover · Se Habla Español