Need Your Kind Assistance on Illness Policy and Sticking to My Guns!

[MARSTELAC]

I sent an addendum to my contract home first thing this month. It went into effect Thursday Oct 14. It is 2.5 pages long as I have to keep updating and amending things. Anywho...Sunday is truly my only day off. I run Monday through Saturday night and don't sit down until Saturday evening church service is over. Sunday is MY day (except for the 2 Sunday nights per month that I lead a 4H group). So, I have these 2 needy separated parents. They bring the kids here M-H and sometimes M-F. Today I have a voice mail (I chose not to answer because I had company at the time) from dc father saying one of dcb's went to urgent care today and has double ear infection, 99.1 temp, not his usual active self. He started antibiotics at 2:30 p.m. Can he come to daycare tomorrow? My I addendum indicates that I must have a doc note for return to daycare if any antibiotic has been prescribed no matter if I administer it or not, temp not higher than 100 without benefit of fever-reducing meds, and child must be able to fully participate in all daycare activities. I didn't want to talk to him because I have no backbone and KNOW FULL WELL he will talk me out of the note because I am guessing he didn't get one. I texted him back indicating I couldn't talk because I have company but explained above again and told him to let me know if he was bringing kids tomorrow.
So, company is gone, I am out running errands and dc mom texts me and asks if I have a minute. I am at wits' end with these two! They are both selfish and rude. He is constantly texting me and leaving messages. She not so much but she is not nice and is kind of intimidating.
Does anyone else get constant texts and calls from their dc parents? Am I in the wrong to ask for these things from families? The main reason for this addendum was to let parents know I would not care for sick kids and what my detailed new policy is. I have been doing dc since Jan 08 and this past summer/fall has been terrible with people bringing their sick kids...I just felt I need to crack down before I end up getting sick and missing work and subsequently having no income. Maybe I should have posted this as a "vent" instead. Sorry! Just maybe looking for some feedback and reassurance :confused:

[missnikki]

All I have to say is, the sooner and more serious you put your foot down unequivically, the quicker that problem goes away. Leave no chance for them to ask. If you sent that home, then they call you , you should say, "You should have read that in the note I sent home, the rule about that is _____. Hope she feels better soon."
The chances of them questioning that or trying to take advantage of you at that point, becomes very slim.

[Live and Learn]

I never txt with parents.
I would call back and say something like "as long as junior is healthy enough to fully participate in today's activities and has had a fever under 100 for more than 24 hrs without meds he is welcome to come to my daycare." in the morning if he comes have a huge perky smile on your face. "hi junior lets's go play!".....
iF junior comes tomorrow and is a total mess ...unable to participate I would call mom or dad right away and now it is their problem....say something like...
"I am sure it is an inconvenience to come get junior but he is just miserable.
I am obligated to the other children as well as junior. He isn't well enough to participate fully in today's activities. I sure he is better soon". I am more than willing to lay the old guilt trip out there and say "look around....no one else is sick...it isn't fair to the other families if junior gets the other kids sick or I get sick and have to close and inconvenience your family and everyone else's family too."

[Blackcat31]

I totally agree with Live and Learn's post. Let him come, but if he acts sick or can't participate, call his parents. I also require a signed Dr's note if there are fevers or antibiotics involved. I put on a separate sick/illness policy that there are NO EXCEPTIONS! I just say it is against my licensing rules to allow anyone back into care without a Dr's note under those circumstances.
It is very unfair to you and the other kids if someone is sick and spreading it around when they should be home.
In regards to texting with my parents, I don't even give out my cell number to them! I hardly even answer the phone after hours (I do have an answering machine). If I answered or gave out my cell number, I'd be working 24/7. Most parents who need to tell me their kid is sick can leave a message, any other problems can be dealt with during business hours. I think there is a fine line between keeping my off time separate from my business time. Imagine if their bosses or work people called or texted them when the office wasn't open! LOL! ::

[momma2girls]

I also added to my contract a few yrs. ago, if a child leaves my daycare with a fever or vomiting, they cannot return the next day as well. I had parents in the past say they didn't have a fever or vomiting at all, after they got home, then the come 24 hrs. later, such as 10:00 or whenever that is- only to have the child vomiting again, or a high fever after they loaded them with Tylenol. So they reinfected everyone here all over again!!! SO I had to call them again at work, and they had to leave once again, then the families acted like they were mad at me, for having to leave work again!!!