Reality Alert: A childcare center employee fell and severely injured her shoulder when she attempted to step over a baby gate. The employee indicated later that she thought that she needed to quickly attend to an upset child on the other side of the gate.

In the News: An infant boy was found dead in a sport utility vehicle outside a west side daycare center, apparently left unattended by an employee of the center who picked him up, police and relatives said. The temperature was 81 degrees at 4 p.m. when a 911 caller reported that the baby, identified by family members as a 4-month-old, was found in a Dodge Durango outside the day care.

Reality Alert: A simple mistake put a reputable childcare center in the middle of everyone’s worst nightmare… the death of a young child. An employee at the facility, who had worked there for several years, placed a 3-month-old child down for a nap on her stomach.

Bookcase Causes Tragedy: A two-year-old child was crushed to death when a bookcase she was climbing on tipped over and fell on top of her. An investigation by the state’s Department of Human Services found two reasons responsible for this avoidable tragedy.

In the News: A 15-month-old boy began vomiting severely during dinner and his parents immediately rushed him to the emergency room. There it was revealed that the young boy had swallowed a nickel-sized button battery that had become lodged in his throat.

Child care providers are required to maintain a variety of certifications. The specifics vary from state to state, but often include skills such as basic first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Reality Alert: On July 16th, 2007, a 14-month-old boy in Minnesota was airlifted to an intensive care unit after suffering 1st and 2nd degree burns to more than 13% of his body. While reaching for his bottle at daycare, he unintentionally pulled the cord of a slow cooker used to warm his formula.

In the News: An Amber Alert was issued for a seven-year-old boy after his father abducted him from his childcare center. The child’s mother had full legal custody of the child but staff members let the child go because his father claimed he was taking the child to a doctor’s appointment.

Reality Alert: A childcare provider caring for an eleven-week-old baby swaddled him and placed him in a car seat for a nap. He was left in an empty room for two hours.

Reality Alert: It was a busy day in the infant room at a respected and well-known childcare center. Two teachers were working hard to keep eight babies fed and happy.