In This Issue:

Outlandish Laws

The Rasansky Law Firm Ventures Into Facebook

Day Care Abuse Widespread

Questions to Ask a Potential Day Care

Potential Cerebral Palsy Preventative Drug

Outlandish Laws

Dominoes may not be played on Sunday in Alabama

It is illegal to eat an orange in your bath tub in California

In Maryland, men may not buy drinks for female bartenders

All fire hydrants in Pennsylvania must be checked one hour before all fires.

The Rasansky Law Firm Ventures Into Facebook

As the world of social networking takes over cyberspace and fosters relationships between individuals across time zones, The Rasansky Law Firm has found what was once just a craze among college students to be a valuable way to stay in touch with special cerebral palsy and birth injury clients and their families and provide valuable resources to other users of the burgeoning site.

Our first initiative is a support group / discussion group intended to allow parents to communicate with each other about the joys and triumphs they experience as they care for special needs children. We have invited past clients, but also allow others to join if they so request. We hope this not only builds awareness about cerebral palsy and its possible causes and effects, but also provides an outlet for so many families who feel they have no one with whom they can relate as they face these challenges.

Called Support for Families Affected by Cerebral Palsy, we encourage you to check it out if you are interested in joining the group. Just go to www.facebook.com and create a user profile. You can find Jeff Rasansky by typing his name into the search function and once you connect to him, he will make sure you are able to join the group. See you in cyberspace!

Day Care Abuse Widespread

It seems like everywhere we turn, we hear more reports of abuse and/or neglect in day care facilities. Just looking back over some of the headlines on our daycare abuse blog in the past month, it is clear these cases are not tied to one region or state, but are spread throughout the nation. The type of abuse reported is widely varied as well. Some of the disturbing headlines include:

Man Sentenced for Sexual Abuse at New York Day Care
Daycare Worker Duct Taped Child Over a Dumpster
Center for Disabled Children Closes Following Investigation
Killeen Day Care License to be Revoked

And that is just the start. While we focus on bringing some sort of justice to families who have suffered emotional and physical damage and loss as a result of day care abuse, more needs to be done to prevent such incidents from happening in the first place. Together we can build awareness of the issues and provide parents direction when it comes to proper child care choices. In future editions of Legal Matters, we hope to provide additional resources on this topic. As a start, we encourage parents to consider some of the following questions when choosing a day care facility.

Questions to Ask a Potential Day Care

It is always a good idea to personally meet with the director of a day care or other child care facility. His or her personality and ideals will give a good overall impression of how the facility is managed and whether or not it would be a proper fit for your child. Be wary of a provider who is reluctant to meet with you or allow you to tour the location. You may even consider dropping in unannounced to get an idea of how programs and care are handled when “no one is looking.” Trust your instincts as a parent. If it doesn’t seem right, it’s probably not.

When you do meet with a director or care provider, consider the standards you have for your children at home, and have a prepared list of questions. Examples of questions you may want to ask a potential day care operator include:

-How are children disciplined?
-How are your employees selected and is there a screening process in place?
-Do you have First Aid and CPR training?
-What other training is in place for yourself and your employees?
-What is the staff to child ratio?
-Describe some of the learning and play activities you have here.
-How would you describe the daily routine or schedule?
-How are activities diversified by age? Are there age-appropriate toys, crafts and books available?
-Are children allowed to watch TV and/or use computers? How much and is this use monitored?
-How is nap time handled?
-Do you administer toilet training and if so, how is it handled?
-What child-proofing has been implemented to avoid accidents?
-Do you have an emergency plan in place? If so, what does it involve?
-What does a typical snack or meal look like?
-Are children ever transported off premises by vehicle? If so, are car seats and seat belts properly utilized?
-What special programs are offered? (Such as field trips, interesting guests, etc.)

Additionally, make careful observations of the environment. Is there an outdoor play facility? Is the equipment safe? How is it supervised? Are there smoke detectors and multiple exits in case of fire? What about the room temperature and ventilation? Does it seem relaxed or do the children appear to be tense? Are potentially hazardous cleaning and medicinal products out of reach of children?

You would not choose a job or hire an employee without proper screening and research. It is ever more vital that you are meticulous when choosing a day care facility for the optimal care, growth and safety of your children.

Potential Cerebral Palsy Preventative Drug

Darby Children's Medical Institute in South Carolina has discovered a medication that may protect the developing brains of unborn babies from exposure to inflammation. Childhood disease expert Dr. Inderjot Singh found that a medicine commonly used to treat acetaminophen poisoning also appears to protect unborn babies' developing brains from inflammation exposure. The drug, n-acetyl cysteine, potentially offers protection to the unborn children when given to pregnant women who have fevers prior to giving birth. This is a landmark discovery, as it may be the first preventative treatment for cerebral palsy. We can only hope that this will spur continued developments and advancements on the way to curing cerebral palsy.

Visit www.cerebral-palsy-information.com for the latest news and great resources on Cerebral Palsy.