Sick Kids From A Physician's View

[NoMoreJuice!]

This is ridiculous.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/claire-mccarthy-md/should-sick-kids-be-allowed-at-daycare_b_5521093.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000037

[Unregistered]

Not ridiculous

I am a provider who is strict in my illness policy, and I completely agree with this physician. I've been around long enough to know when a rash needs attention, and will not send away for every rash. I don't send home a child with a fever of 100, whom a acting normal, but the one who is 100, droopy eyes, lethargic I would. I don't close for normal childhood illnesses such as HFM, croup, but will exclude when the child is miserable. It's all common sense. I trust my instincts, and so far they've served me quit well. I've not had to send a single ill child home this year so far as alm my parents have kept them home when required. My rules are clear and fair, so there isn't too much fuss anymore. They're all long time clients as well who know that I don't exclude lightly so they are able to respect my decision when I have to make it.

[MarinaVanessa]

So pretty much what the Dr. says is "Daycares are requiring Dr notes when they are barely sick and that's dumb" (im paraphrasing here) and then goes on to say that "only kids that have high fevers, feel so bad that they can't function and need more care than the provider can offer should stay home" .... um, that's what we're doing. :confused:

[Unregistered]

Please excuse my above typos. On my phone

[MarinaVanessa]

I am a provider who is strict in my illness policy, and I completely agree with this physician. I've been around long enough to know when a rash needs attention, and will not send away for every rash. I don't send home a child with a fever of 100, whom a acting normal, but the one who is 100, droopy eyes, lethargic I would. I don't close for normal childhood illnesses such as HFM, croup, but will exclude when the child is miserable. It's all common sense. I trust my instincts, and so far they've served me quit well. I've not had to send a single ill child home this year so far as alm my parents have kept them home when required. My rules are clear and fair, so there isn't too much fuss anymore. They're all long time clients as well who know that I don't exclude lightly so they are able to respect my decision when I have to make it.

What about the providers that have illness regulations that require exclusion? The Dr should be discussing policy, not that providers are following what we were told to do.

[NoMoreJuice!]

I feel kind of attacked, you know? Like we're just using any excuse to make parents miss work. And asking for a major overhaul of the childcare system? I agree that it's a common sense thing...but I am also not a doctor. I do not claim to know for 100% sure that something is not contagious or that it's "just" a little virus.

[craftymissbeth]

I just completed a webinar put together by the AAP that basically says there are very little reasons to exclude.

Here's the specific webinar:

http://www.healthychildcare.org/PDF/Spit%20Happens%20-%20Managing%20Infectious%20Disease%20Webinar.pdf?eventid=43532

Here's a list of their other webinars:

http://www.healthychildcare.org/webinars.html

For many of us, it's up to what our regulations say. My surveyor actually told me she highly recommends that we create our own policies that are stricter than the state regulations.

http://www.kdheks.gov/bcclr/application_packets_and_forms/child_care/CCL_037_Guidelines_for_Exclusion.pdf

Of all of my policies, my symptom policy is the strictest. Yet, I don't actually have to send anyone home very often. Maybe ever few months or so? So it's not like I'm just itching to keep everyone home and for all of my parents to lose their jobs. I care for children ages 0-3 and in order to provide the safest and healthiest environment I feel it's important to have a strict symptom policy. Everyone else can do what they want. That's the awesome part of owning our own businesses

[Maddy'sMommy]

A lot of providers have been burned too many times by a parent who said that the child "only puked once", or "it's just allergies", and then everyone ends up sick. Or the provider themselves ends up sick enough that they have to close, and no one can go to work.

I think both sides just need to be honest and work together. I don't exclude for minor illness, but I expect parents to be honest, and know when they should keep their child home.

[craftymissbeth]

I feel kind of attacked, you know? Like we're just using any excuse to make parents miss work. And asking for a major overhaul of the childcare system? I agree that it's a common sense thing...but I am also not a doctor. I do not claim to know for 100% sure that something is not contagious or that it's "just" a little virus.

This. I have NO medical training! I am NOT going to make a decision about what illness a child has. I do not diagnose! Hence the reason they're sent to the doctor.

Also, the examples that the writer included about the daycare requiring eye drops or the daycare requiring medicine for the fever to go down... I will never, ever, ever require a child's doctor to do or prescribe anything. That's something that's between the doctor and their patient and I have no business telling a parent that their child requires medication before coming back. In fact, I don't require them to even take them to the doctor.

My policy simply states that if their child has any of the listed symptoms then they have to be excluded.

[NoMoreJuice!]

Thanks so much for sharing that link to the webinars! I am reading through the illness one right now and getting so annoyed. There is another post going on right now about pink eye, and YES I exclude for pink eye, but that webinar claims that pink eye should be treated just like the common cold and not excluded for!

[craftymissbeth]

Thanks so much for sharing that link to the webinars! I am reading through the illness one right now and getting so annoyed. There is another post going on right now about pink eye, and YES I exclude for pink eye, but that webinar claims that pink eye should be treated just like the common cold and not excluded for!

Isn't it infuriating?! I have to do what's best for my whole group of children AND my family AND myself. I don't want to get sick and I don't want my son getting sick.

[Unregistered]

I guess we are not too concerned about what makes the child most comfortable, what gives them the best care when unwell, or their overall emotional well being either. I know when I am not feeling well I do not want to be at work with a bunch of people and a busy environment. I want to be in the comfort of my home, and rest so I can get better or prevent myself from getting even more sick. I very much believe a child that is unwell belongs in the care of family, in a lower ratio setting where they can be more focused on & monitored.

I'm trying to picture the chaos if all my daycare children attended ill. I simple can not hold & snuggle them up all day. Even when they all get a cold it makes for stressful days.

[Leigh]

The exclusions listed in the article are common practice. The article supports these exclusions. Exactly what, I wonder, does the article believes to be overhauled?

[Blackcat31]

Quoted from the article:

"If we really want to support working families, then we are going to have to tackle this problem. We need to find a way to change the culture of daycare and understand that minor illnesses are part of life -- and very much part of early childhood.

We need to find a new middle ground, one that takes care of not just children, but families."

If you really want to find a middle ground, how about we start educating parents on what THEIR responsibilities are and what the PROVIDERS responsibilities are.

Parents need to start stepping up and start paying their providers what they are really worth and stop bitching left and right about the high cost of children THEY choose to have.

If you really want to support working families then maybe working families need a MAJOR lesson in priorities so they understand that their child is only a child for a short while and putting that paycheck before their child's needs is an embarrassment to our entire society.

The culture of daycare doesn't need to change.

PARENTS do!

Parents need to come to understand that if they didn't try to pull a fast one on their provider, or didn't keep their kids up until midnight, feed them crappy foods and park them in front of their DVD players, i-pads and video games, and stay the he77 home once in a while instead of racking up more miles than Dale Earnhardt Jr on a Sunday afternoon, then maybe JUST maybe.... these kids wouldn't be sick as often as they are.

I am so sick and tired of daycare being the problem but NEVER the solution when WE (DC providers) do THE most for a child. Children that aren't even ours.

Yet, we're the bad guy that needs a lesson in early childhood illness...

Seriously?!

Just keep telling yourself that Dr McCarthy. Because while you bring home the big dollars and point your finger at us...WE are the ones raising YOUR child.

[Unregistered]

And hopefully they will have more sense than you Doctor.