When your children are sick...

[DaycareMom]

I posted earlier about a tough situation I am in and it made me wonder what everyone else's policy was regarding the same issue.

If your children and/or husband are ill and need to stay home, you remain open, but the dcps decide not to bring their kids as to not expose them, do you charge them for the day?

[laundrymom]

I stay open. My kids or husband stay away from daycare and I don't worry about closing.

[Peaches]

I think it depend on the age of your kids. For me I have 2 boys that are also part of the daycare so when they are sick, my husband either stays home with them to keep them separated or I close because I alone can not keep them separated from DCK's. The days I close I do not charge. The other days I just give parents a heads up that husband is home to watch our sick kid and keep him isolated. But since I am still available I charge. To be honest my own kids always seem to get sick late in the day so then usually my husband just comes home early... To me that seems better than calling parents in the middle of their working day and having them pick up; then that night I make the call on if I'm open the next day or not depending on what my kids have.

[finsup]

If its mild I give parents a heads up and remain open. If its bad I'll close but that's rare. If I'm closed I will give full time parents a discount for that day. If I remain open I don't offer a discount.

[Unregistered]

I leave it up to them if they want to come. I ALWAYS charge. The only time I don't is if dcp are using vacation time. Makes it simple.

[Unregistered]

I give them the choice to come, but if they don't, I do not charge them. I only close when my children are very ill (high fever, vomiting, diahrea), but if it is just a cough or that they are a little run down, I don't close. If I am sick enough to close, I don't charge and if my husband is home sick and it was a contagious illness, I would give them the choice to come or not too.