I Must Be The Meanest Provider Ever

[CedarCreek]

Yesterday I tried to have "the talk" with one of my DCPs about his childs violent behavior and then ultimately, term him. Dad texts me later and tells me he had a break down when I told him that I might not be able to watch his child anymore and that he doesn't want to lose me as a provider.

Yeah..all I got out of that is that you didn't understand that you ARE losing me as a provider..great. Get to have that talk again.

Then today, another DCP comes to drop her daughters off and tells me one of them is whiny. As soon as she leaves, I check the childs temp and its 101.2. I text DCM and call her twice. Nothing. 45 minutes later, I text her again and she finally calls back. Bawling her eyes out.

"Isn't there any way you can keep her?" I say no, that's not fair to the other children here or me. "Well, I think its just allergies" No, allergies do not cause a 101.2 fever. "I have to take other days off next week and I'm not getting paid for them and now I have to take another day?" I tell her that I'm sorry for her work situation but I cannot keep a sick, possibly contagious, child while I have other children in my care. "Fine. I'll be there shortly."

Yup. That's me. Making parents cry left and right.

God,please let this week end faster.

[Patches]

How could you! Putting the safety of EVERYONE in your care above these two children! How terrible!

[countrymom]

I don't understand this "if I take one more day off I'm going to lose my job or I don't get paid nonsense" I had a mom who pulled this all the time and the funny thing is, is that when she wanted a day off to herself she had no problem, no "I'm going to lose my job" or "I don't get paid" why is it when it involves children suddenly they are all going to lose their jobs.

what works for me is, that if your child is sick I don't charge them. Not only does it cut down on alot of nonsense but i don't get sick kids being dropped off here. It makes a huge difference, even my other provider friend said the same thing, its one thing that works for us and thats why we rarely have sick kids being dropped off here.

[bunnyslippers]

Not mean...strong, consistent and fair. If you expose other people's children to illness, they will then have to miss work, too. When you have children, you have to plan and expect that sometimes you will have to let your commitments, however important, fall to the side so you can care for your child. Life happens. Not your child, not your problem.

I think you should feel proud of yourself!!!

[CedarCreek]

Thanks everyone! I'm trying to be reasonable here but its been 2 hours since she was first notified and she still isn't here. I'm getting irritated. I know she will be too when she gets here and I hope I can keep my cool.

And I had to text yet another dcp just now and remind her that her childs tuition was due yesterday.

Wtf is going on with these dcps lately?

[Michelle]

this brings up an interesting question..
What do you say to a parent that says that the kid got sick at daycare?
and they say they should be able to bring them because it is all our fault?
:confused::confused::confused:

[CedarCreek]

I say that if they caught it here that's because they chose to still bring their child after I told them my own child was sick. That's their choice to expose them. But they don't get to choose for children who are not theirs to be exposed.

That's sort of what my problem here was. This dcm was the only parent to insist on bringing her children anyway after I called everyone to tell then my son was sick two weeks ago. Everyone else stayed home.

Other than that, kids can pick up illnesses from anywhere. If this Mom really would have fought me on it I would have termed her. Good luck finding someone to take your sick kids!

She just came and took the sick one, leaving the other here. Crying all the while..

[bunnyslippers]

this brings up an interesting question..
What do you say to a parent that says that the kid got sick at daycare?
and they say they should be able to bring them because it is all our fault?
:confused::confused::confused:

I have had parents say this to me. I usually respond that germs are everywhere, and that daycare is no exception. i then remind them that come kindergarten, their child will have a much stronger immune system, as they have been exposed to so much already.

[Blackcat31]

Thanks everyone! I'm trying to be reasonable here but its been 2 hours since she was first notified and she still isn't here. I'm getting irritated. I know she will be too when she gets here and I hope I can keep my cool.

And I had to text yet another dcp just now and remind her that her childs tuition was due yesterday.

Wtf is going on with these dcps lately?

At this point, I would be seriously considering terming this family.

Two hours to get there? Um, not ok. I allow 45 minutes. If you do not arrive and retrieve your child within that time frame, I immediately begin calling the emergency contact numbers. If I am unable to reach them, I will call CPS and report an abandoned child.

NOT COOL of this DCM.

I fully understand her not wanting to lose her job and the risk she takes when taking time off too frequently but that is her issue to solve by either using her family and friends or a sick child care facility as back up.

This is something discussed IN DEPTH and FIRMLY during my interviewing process. The more seriously I address it before it happens, helps alot in how it is handled when it does happen.

Hopefully she (DCM) arrives soon.

[Lucy]

what works for me is, that if your child is sick I don't charge them. Not only does it cut down on alot of nonsense but i don't get sick kids being dropped off here. It makes a huge difference, even my other provider friend said the same thing, its one thing that works for us and thats why we rarely have sick kids being dropped off here.

The downside to that is, Grandma, Aunt, Friend wants to keep them for a day and Parent tells YOU that child is sick, and voila, a free DC day! It happened to me when I first started doing DC. Mom would call and say Jr. was sick. After it happened about every 3-4 weeks, I realized it was always on a Friday. I started asking Jr. what they did the day they didn't come to my house, and they would proudly announce "Grandma's", or Aunt so-and-so, etc. So yeah, that policy went down the tubes real fast.

[mrsnj]

I don't understand this "if I take one more day off I'm going to lose my job or I don't get paid nonsense" I had a mom who pulled this all the time and the funny thing is, is that when she wanted a day off to herself she had no problem, no "I'm going to lose my job" or "I don't get paid" why is it when it involves children suddenly they are all going to lose their jobs.

AMEN sister! I got me one of them!

[mrsnj]

Thanks everyone! I'm trying to be reasonable here but its been 2 hours since she was first notified and she still isn't here.

THAT is not cool! I would have given her an hour max and then started calling
alternate picks ups.

I had a dcp bring their child to me sick (and not tell me) and they left for a funeral. The child started getting worse and I pegged the fever and all and called. I felt bad cause it was a grandparents funeral and so I said I would keep them isolated till they were done the burial and then they had to get someone to pick up right after. They left the by now puking child at my house till the end of the day so they could attend the meal part of the funeral. Suddenly no cell reception. No one picked up a phone or returned a call. They 'forgot' to come or send someone to pick up. The child was spiking a high fever and throwing up everywhere by then and you 'forgot' your child? I charged them and then learned my lesson................
No nicey nice. Black and white.

[NeedaVaca]

this brings up an interesting question..
What do you say to a parent that says that the kid got sick at daycare?
and they say they should be able to bring them because it is all our fault?
:confused::confused::confused:

Parents are at work and bring home germs, do they take the kids to the grocery stores, library hour, fun things on the weekend? Seriously,germs are everywhere. I had a virus run through my daycare a couple of weeks ago, we all got it, my entire family as well. But, my husband also said everyone at his job was sick, my parents that I hadn't seen recently were sick, my nephew and a ton of kids at his school were sick, hadn't seem him either.

Yes, they might get something at daycare or ANYWHERE they go. I also would tell them my family also suffers when illness runs rampant so it's not like I am not diligent about sanitizing etc. Thank goodness I have never had a parent get upset about this, they are all so great about sick kiddos! If I did have a parent get upset these are things I would point out! No one wants to get sick but trying to blame someone is just childish, they should know better...

[Blackcat31]

this brings up an interesting question..
What do you say to a parent that says that the kid got sick at daycare?
and they say they should be able to bring them because it is all our fault?
:confused::confused::confused:

If they can PROVE that it was my (daycare) fault that their child is sick then I would entertain the thought (taking in and caring for their sick child).

Seriously, I understand that parents feel daycare is the cause of all their child's illnesses and perhaps they are right considering the close contact and the ages of the kids but in reality, continued exposure after an illness is present only prolongs the illness and continues passing it back and forth.

I would tell a parent who said it was daycare's fault that even if it was, I can not allow continued exposure to the other kids who are not yet sick. Separating an ill child has a significant impact on the length of time a virus is present and excluding the ill child will ensure that eveyrone gets over it and back to good health quicker.

[julie]

So it took you 45 minutes to reach her in the first place, and then two hours more had passed since you notified her? So...three hours that this kid has been sick and feverish and infecting your daycare and mom knows about it and is not rushing to get there. No need to keep your cool on that one. That person did a selfish, selfish thing. She'd be terminated immediately for that disrespect.