MASON CITY, Iowa - Carl Douglas is in his fifth year running a daycare.
“It was very important for my wife and I to give back something back to the community,” Douglas said.
Every day, Little Angel’s Child Care and Preschool is open is a day they're checking for signs of child abuse.
“Any scratches, anything we make sure we have accountability on our side, that's why we have cameras all around if something happens here. That way we can go back and find out exactly what happened. We want to make sure all children are safe when they are in our care and outside of here,” Douglas said.
Douglas and his staff are mandatory reporters and he admits that they've reported a few signs that were concerning to them. In Iowa,  both reported cases of child abuse and confirmed cases are on the rise. The numbesr have increased by nearly eight percent in both 2015 and 2016.
“You want to think the best of everyone, so you don't want to think someone would do something to a child, but you have to make that call. You're only making that call just for that child to make sure nothing happens to that child anymore at home or it could have been from somewhere else,” Douglas said.
April marks child abuse and neglect prevention month. To educate yourself more on signs of abuse, look for sudden change in the child's behavior or school performance, if the kids are not receiving help for medical issues brought to parents attention, along with a child who seems to always expect something bad to happen.
These tips come from the Child Welfare Information Gateway.