Shaunna Broadway, a mom from Tulsa, is blaming a daycare center for the plight of her children. Her boys, Connor, 7, and Trae, 5, were left to the care of the Happiness is a Learning Center last Friday. However, when she returned to pick them up, she found them crying in pain, according to CNN.
Earlier, the center's staff brought the kids at a nearby waterpark but failed to put sunscreen on them. The staff told Shaunna that the kids also didn't want to wear shirts the whole time they went swimming. As a result, they were confined to the hospital for second- and third-degree sunburns. Connor had the worst burns and would remain wrapped and in treatment for 72 hours, the news outlet said.
Shaunna posted photos and a video of the boys while getting treatment for the burns, which went viral. In the video, Shaunna can be heard encouraging the boys to stay put as they pleaded and cried. "You gotta lay down, though, OK. I can't, I can't, I can't. Yes you can, you just take a deep breath and lay down OK?" Shauna told her boys in the video, according to Detroit Free Press.
"There's no excuse for this," the single mother said in a phone interview. "Whether it was intentional or not, they were supposed to take care of them and they did not and that's the bottom line," she added.
Meanwhile, doctors say that the boys will heal with little scarring, according to ABC News. However, there could be some health complications afterwards. "Unfortunately severe burns in childhood in this natures are an independent risk factor for skin cancer later in life," said dermatologist Dr. Barney Kenet.
The daycare center, on the other hand, has shut down, according to News On 6.
What happened to these boys is raising huge concerns for parents, who already have a difficult time picking out a good daycare. But Toni Walters of the Connect Child Care Resource and Referral offers some good advice via WowKTV.
Parents must make sure to visit several establishments to widen their options, and, if possible, visit the daycare along with their kids. Moms and dads must take note of the following:
1. The ratio between adult and child and how the caretaker deals with the children.
2. The types of toys, games and other resources provided for the kids.
3. The menu and food choices.
4. The outdoor space.
The report also suggested doing a background check of the staff and establishment so that the parents have an idea of their credentials. Looking into the daycare's policy would also help parents narrow down their choices.
