Everyone is SICK!!!!!

[DestinyAja]

Everyone is sick including me and my 2 boys (8 months and 3 years old)!!!!! Some kind of way everyone in my daycare has caught a bug. Noses are running....the coughs are loud...sneezing is every 2 minutes....no one is covering their mouth or their nose...I'm spraying Lysol every 15 minutes...I have had a headache for 2 days...I feel like I want to send a note home today (Friday) letting all parents know that if they don't get their children better by Monday, they will have to keep them home. How do you all handle this? Should I give them a letter? Should I speak to each parent individually at pick up? Like what????:confused:

[Nurse Jackie]

My daycare and my kids are recovering from this now. It all started from a kid with a runny nose who was "teething" and everyone started "teething" including me. It got so bad I closed at 6pm and made an appointment with Kaiser at 7pm. I'm thinking about redoing my sick policy to excluding even if they have a clear runny nose because it's not fair that I and my family may get sick and I have to either close, which affects my other families, or work through it.

[finsup]

We just got over this, actually my 10 month old still has a cough. But like the pp it all started with a runny nose. I didn't even think anything of it honestly, I mean it was JUST a runny nose all else was fine. Then it turned awful so quickly, I was just like what?! How!? I ended up closing. I hate doing it but everyone was really sick, and my own 3 kids met exclusion policies. Personally, I'd just close Monday as a "get better" day for everyone, plus a huge cleaning and sanitizing of everything. If you give parents the idea that there's an option, I imagine the kids will "seem fine" to the parents, even if they're not and still come I'd tell mine face to face, but my group is small. An email or text could work too, but I do like "in person" then no one can claim they "didn't get it."

[MunchkinWrangler]

Tread lightly with exclusion for clear, runny nose. I have lost 3 families because my illness policies are strict.

I definitely understand that working sick, which I have been doing now for a week, and taking care of your own sick children(mine was just sick last week) is incredibly tough and draining. As well as trying to disinfect your home. To say the least, I crashed and burned with this very topic.

I am strict about my illness policy and have gotten some backlash from families about it and definitely have suspected dope and drops. Be ready to replace at a moments notice. I wasn't.

[Nurse Jackie]

Munchkin I try to be understanding but last week I thought I was gonna pass out. Luckily I had my husband here to help. It seemed to hit me the worse because unlike everyone else I wasn't able to get the rest I needed.

[LysesKids]

Everyone is sick including me and my 2 boys (8 months and 3 years old)!!!!! Some kind of way everyone in my daycare has caught a bug. Noses are running....the coughs are loud...sneezing is every 2 minutes....no one is covering their mouth or their nose...I'm spraying Lysol every 15 minutes...I have had a headache for 2 days...I feel like I want to send a note home today (Friday) letting all parents know that if they don't get their children better by Monday, they will have to keep them home. How do you all handle this? Should I give them a letter? Should I speak to each parent individually at pick up? Like what????:confused:

If the runny noses is clear it's usually allergies & right now RAGWEED is like so bad here and we haven't had rain in days so the air is filled with pollen - we all have clear runny noses (even me)... another sign it's allergy & not colds are itchy eyes (me & 2 of the kids); the drainage from noses can sometimes cause a slight cough too.

We all came down with issues the exact same day, so I doubt it's a virus this time - at least here. 2 of my kids even went to a DR and were put on allergy medications and i just refilled my inhaler. The kids are up and running around and not acting ill, so why should I exclude if I have the same issue... yes I hate wiping noses, but the Boogie wipes are out in force

[Nurse Jackie]

If the runny noses is clear it's usually allergies & right now RAGWEED is like so bad here and we haven't had rain in days so the air is filled with pollen - we all have clear runny noses (even me)... another sign it's allergy & not colds are itchy eyes (me & 2 of the kids); the drainage from noses can sometimes cause a slight cough too.

We all came down with issues the exact same day, so I doubt it's a virus this time - at least here. 2 of my kids even went to a DR and were put on allergy medications and i just refilled my inhaler. The kids are up and running around and not acting ill, so why should I exclude if I have the same issue... yes I hate wiping noses, but the Boogie wipes are out in force

We all have/had clear runny noses which turned into very bad colds here

[LysesKids]

We all have/had clear runny noses which turned into very bad colds here

... not the case here thank goodness; we have all had issues since Sunday night and none of the babies are coughing or running fevers... and it's still clear mucus for everyone. I have had a severe Ragweed allergy for years and moving back here just made them worse . Heck the 2 kids an allergy meds are acting like their normal little selves now that they aren't rubbing eyes. I do have a strict policy for illness, but this is something that I have to just give a little for... now full blown severe colds - YEP GO HOME

[Blackcat31]

Tread lightly with exclusion for clear, runny nose. I have lost 3 families because my illness policies are strict.

I definitely understand that working sick, which I have been doing now for a week, and taking care of your own sick children(mine was just sick last week) is incredibly tough and draining. As well as trying to disinfect your home. To say the least, I crashed and burned with this very topic.

I am strict about my illness policy and have gotten some backlash from families about it and definitely have suspected dope and drops. Be ready to replace at a moments notice. I wasn't.

I disagree about treading lightly. If you have policies, enforce them. If you don't they are as good as the paper you printed them on.

I do not care if I lose families due to my strict illness families because "those types" of families don't understand or respect the daycare world/perspective and that's great because the back lash you get from those types make it easy because it clearly separates them from worthy clients....the kind I want.

I also understand needing the income but I need to be healthy more than I need the income...kwim? I AM willing to lose those "types" of families and when they know and are aware of that, it helps with enforcement.

That being said, I do not exclude for clear runny noses on a regular basis. I will and do exclude for clear runny noses when care of said runny nose causes me to provide more care, supervision and/or attention than I am capable of providing WHILE continuing to provide care and supervision to the other kids in care.


4 yr old with a clear runny nose that uses a tissue on their own.. NOT excluded.

14 month old with a clear runny nose that uses toys, furniture and other kids as tissues.... :dislike: Excluded.

[Blackcat31]

OP~ I PM'ed you a reminder letter I send out at this time of year so parents know what I expect in regards to illness and exclusion.

You are welcome to print and use if it works for you. If you are unable to access or download the file, let me know.

[DestinyAja]

Tread lightly with exclusion for clear, runny nose. I have lost 3 families because my illness policies are strict.

I definitely understand that working sick, which I have been doing now for a week, and taking care of your own sick children(mine was just sick last week) is incredibly tough and draining. As well as trying to disinfect your home. To say the least, I crashed and burned with this very topic.

I am strict about my illness policy and have gotten some backlash from families about it and definitely have suspected dope and drops. Be ready to replace at a moments notice. I wasn't.

And that is what I am afraid of. Having to close down and lose families. I understand that these parents depend on me to watch their children everyday. Everybody can't take off work for a runny nose, whether it's clear or not. I just hope they get it together over the weekend.

[DestinyAja]

OP~ I PM'ed you a reminder letter I send out at this time of year so parents know what I expect in regards to illness and exclusion.

You are welcome to print and use if it works for you. If you are unable to access or download the file, let me know.

I got it and it is perfect! Thanks BC! You're awesome! :hug:

[LysesKids]

I disagree about treading lightly. If you have policies, enforce them. If you don't they are as good as the paper you printed them on.

I do not care if I lose families due to my strict illness families because "those types" of families don't understand or respect the daycare world/perspective and that's great because the back lash you get from those types make it easy because it clearly separates them from worthy clients....the kind I want.

I also understand needing the income but I need to be healthy more than I need the income...kwim? I AM willing to lose those "types" of families and when they know and are aware of that, it helps with enforcement.

That being said, I do not exclude for clear runny noses on a regular basis. I will and do exclude for clear runny noses when care of said runny nose causes me to provide more care, supervision and/or attention than I am capable of providing WHILE continuing to provide care and supervision to the other kids in care.


4 yr old with a clear runny nose that uses a tissue on their own.. NOT excluded.

14 month old with a clear runny nose that uses toys, furniture and other kids as tissues.... :dislike: Excluded.

See in my case all my kids are 18 months or younger, so... yeah, not an option there . The fact mine do let me wipe on a regular basis helps ( I make a game of it). I only do 4 littles and there is no way I could afford to lose a family or pay over allergies; like I said, severe colds, yeah the kids go home, never had a parent not back me up because they do know my policies.

[Miss A]

OP~ I PM'ed you a reminder letter I send out at this time of year so parents know what I expect in regards to illness and exclusion.

You are welcome to print and use if it works for you. If you are unable to access or download the file, let me know.

BC, could you PM me the letter as well? With baby on the way, and the horrible sneezing/runny nose/crying fits 2/3 DCK's have had this week, I think it is time for a reminder!

[Orange2001]

Well the "allergies" here, and I do agree it's a huge part of them were we are and the weather we have had. I'm going to right to bed this lovely Friday at 5:32 because it now has became a sinus infection my face is puffy and ouch... ALL the DCC have had it also so it would be odd for all 6 of us and my son who's 16 and not around the DCC often.