Snow Day Policy

[hsdcmama]

What is your policy for snow days? I do not have anything about snow days in my contract, but as the weather gets colder I just can't imagine shoveling out my driveway at 5 am every time it snows. Do you close completely? Follow the school schedule? Close for a half day to shovel the driveway?

[nannyde]

Get up as many times as necessary in the middle of the night and shovel. If it's coming down hard I would shovel every two hours so I could manage it before the kids arrived


Once my son was old enough he got up and did it for me.

[LysesKids]

Actually I do get up and shovel early unless it's calling for an all day event that will close state offices... my current school district is year round, but I don't follow it because I care for babies only AND most of my parents come from another county. Of course growing up in MD I know how that can go too . I explain to parents that once the first child arrives that I will no longer be going out to shovel and that the use of my driveway... or even the street is at their own risk (I live where speed limit is 10 mph in the neighborhood)

[Kabob]

Getting up early stinks but we shovel to try to make sure no one slips on their way in and it snows way too often here for us to close every time it snows.

That said, I started closing for snow days after I realized most parents don't have common sense when driving on winter roads...they've gotten stuck on the road with their kids in the car!

So I close when the schools do or use common sense and close if the conditions are too dangerous for travel as the schools close more often because they don't want kids standing outside or riding the bus in the poor weather.

Closures for weather are still paid for as I can't control weather. But, I have only closed a couple of times this past year.

[Unregistered]

snow days

If our local schools close I close too! I put it on our local news stations so parents know we will be closed.

I have to keep all exits clear of snow in case of a fire and we would have to get out it is a state rule. If I can't keep up with the snow I would close early never had to do it but will if need be no way will I be stuck here with 12 kids.

I tell my parents if schools close I close if school kids should be out in in than neither should little kids and babies and I would feel bad if they tried to come to daycare during bad weather and got in an accident. So I close just to avoid that whole mess!

None of my parents mind they are grateful that I am thinking of their children's safety.

[hsdcmama]

Another thing I just thought about, is that my state regs say I can't be outside if the dcks are inside. So legally I would not be allowed to go outside & shovel snow during the day. This is a little more complicated that I thought it would be.

[Angelsj]

Hire a service. ::
I have a 14 yo, but he gets lazy on me sometimes. If it is particularly yucky or heavy snow, we call the service and they come with their machines and clear it out.

[Blackcat31]

I live in an area that has heavy snowfall and frequently too.

Part of owning a business means dealing with the weather.

My DH owns a plow (if he didn't I would hire someone) and he gets up early and plows before the first parents arrive. For me, (and him) this means getting up really early sometimes as I don't have my daycare at my house and my own driveway is a mile long so it does require some pre-planning ad paying attention to the weather forecast.

I think you have to do what you have to do. If that means getting up at 5 am to shovel then getting up at 5 am to shovel is what you have to do.

Of course, if there is extreme weather happening, you do what you can and pray that others use caution as well but when you live in an area that has snow, you deal.

****s sometimes but honestly there are days I would rather shovel for 5 hours straight verses being indoors with a bunch of rambunctious kiddos. ::

I love shoveling. And mowing the lawn.

[midaycare]

I'm in BC's situation - I live in a snow belt area and we are guaranteed at least 100 inches of snow per season. Much more last year! I have a long driveway too - not a mile but .1 tenth of a mile. I hire a service. I shovel the walkways.

And I generally don't talk about snow until December. It's forbidden.

[DaveA]

The township's really good about plowing our road since we're on a bus route. I'm up early to shovel anyway since my wife's a nurse and might have to go in early or deal with hospital severe weather procedures. Seriously thinking about getting a snowblower after last year.

I don't close for snow days but encourage parents to be smart about getting their kids on the roads in bad weather. I've told them losing one DCP to a car accident is enough for my career. If they want to use daycare closing as an excuse not to come in I'm fine with that.

[Thriftylady]

I can't imagine closing for a snow day, since all the parents around here are still expected to show up at work. I will be shoveling!

[AmyKidsCo]

I can't imagine closing for a snow day, since all the parents around here are still expected to show up at work. I will be shoveling!

Me too! But I just shovel a path 2 shovel-widths up the driveway, then leave the rest for DH or our 15 yr old.

[Controlled Chaos]

I can't imagine closing for a snow day, since all the parents around here are still expected to show up at work. I will be shoveling!

yep. Its just part of the job. No snow days for me. I would be closed half the winter

[KidGrind]

If schools and/or government are closed, I am closed.

[snbauser]

I follow the schools, but I also cater to school teachers so they would be off as well.