WWYD? Sick DD?

[MNmamaOf4]

I recently started daycare and I have one DCB who is 4 months old. He started last week. I have 4 kids of my own and my oldest is in Kindergarten, so she's only here for about an hour w/ DCB on a normal day. Today I didn't have DCB, Grandma watches him 1x a week, but I'm suppose to have him in the morning. DD (kindergarten) woke up in the middle of the night with a fever, we kept her home from school and when she woke up at 7:30 she complained that her throat hurt, DH looked in her mouth with a flashlight and she did have white spots on her tonsils and they were swollen, I took her into the doctor this morning to have her checked out. The rapid strep test came back negative, which my doctor was surprised at because of the way her tonsils looked, he put her on zithromycin liquid, which would be the kid equivalent to a z-pak, so she had her first dose as soon as we picked it up at the pharmacy, she'll take 1 dose a day for the next 4 days. So she'll have another first thing in the morning. If she's still running a temp, I'll keep her home from school tomorrow too. But as far as DCB, WWYD? Should I call the parents and give them a heads up and leave it to them if they want to bring him, do I close daycare for tomorrow or do I not say anything and just keep DD in our bedroom? DD can lay in our bedroom and watch tv/movies and rest. The bathroom is two steps from our bedroom door and I can bring her drinks/food in our bedroom. I'm torn on what to do. Our previous daycare before I quit my job before baby #4 was born, closed every time her kids were sick, which could be an inconvenience too for the DCP. She'll be on an antibiotic for 24 hours around noon tomorrow.

WWDY?

[DCMomOf3]

I would call the parents to say your DD is sick, will be home but isolated from the daycare, and you wanted them to know. I would not close, especially since she is old enough to stay in your room and away from DCB.

[MNmamaOf4]

I would call the parents to say your DD is sick, will be home but isolated from the daycare, and you wanted them to know. I would not close, especially since she is old enough to stay in your room and away from DCB.

Thanks. This is kind of what I was thinking, but need reassurance! I hate to inconvenience them, especially since this will only be their 2nd week here. Granted I don't know if any of my other kids will get sick, I also have a 4yo, 2 yo and 5 mo old. I've been disinfecting like crazy and will do it again before I head to bed.

[QualiTcare]

if they choose not to come, i wouldn't charge them.

[nannyde]

I would definitely stay open and wouldn't discuss your daughters illness with them at all. I would just isolate her from the kids and do what you normally do.

I have never closed once based on my sons health. I have always had it set up so he is separate from the day care when he was well and when he was ill.

[Unregistered]

My advice would be to call and notify them of the sickness but also be sure to state that it is a courtesy call and that you will still be opened that day and it will be a paid day regardless of their decision.

[juliebug]

I would definitely stay open and wouldn't discuss your daughters illness with them at all. I would just isolate her from the kids and do what you normally do.

I have never closed once based on my sons health. I have always had it set up so he is separate from the day care when he was well and when he was ill.

this is what i do my kids are 9 and 6

[ammama]

I close when it's my younger DD2 who is REALLY sick, but for my older one, I don't close. She can stay away, and play in her own room away from the dck's. When I have my own child who has to still be with me, but is not vomiting (like my sick toddler), I call the parents and let them know that DD is sick, that i'm not closing, they are welcome to come, but if they choose to stay home, I won't charge them. Most usually come anyway.

[QualiTcare]

I would definitely stay open and wouldn't discuss your daughters illness with them at all. I would just isolate her from the kids and do what you normally do.

I have never closed once based on my sons health. I have always had it set up so he is separate from the day care when he was well and when he was ill.

nannyde, you have always said you kept your son separate from the daycare AND you have an assistant - so if he's not/wasn't a part of the dc when he was/is well then i could see not mentioning anything when he's sick. that makes sense.

but in a situation where people let their kids interact with the DC kids and they don't allow the DC kids to come when they're ill, i think it's a little hypocritical when your own child is ill to make them pay and say "it's okay because i can keep them separate." JMO

[nannyde]

nannyde, you have always said you kept your son separate from the daycare AND you have an assistant - so if he's not/wasn't a part of the dc when he was/is well then i could see not mentioning anything when he's sick. that makes sense.

but in a situation where people let their kids interact with the DC kids and they don't allow the DC kids to come when they're ill, i think it's a little hypocritical when your own child is ill to make them pay and say "it's okay because i can keep them separate." JMO

The OP is referring to an infant dcg and a school aged provider child. If she is able to separate her there shouldn't be any problem with keeping their care separate. The baby isn't even mobile. The baby is young enough that the five year old shouldn't be interacting with her anyways. She's very young and needs to be protected from the older kids. Keeping them apart should be done, IMHO, on a day to day basis.

Caring for your own sick kids with the day care kids is very different than caring for a sick day care kid and well day care kids. Your own sick kid can be in their own bed and have their mother caring for him. A sick day care kid is in public and cared for by someone other than their mother. A sick day care child is a very high liability to a provider. It's nothing like caring for your own sick kid.

If she wants the day off then tell them. If she can keep the care separate and carry on as she normally does then I don't see the problem. Of course she needs to use excellent hygeine and hand washing but she is doing that anyway.

[QualiTcare]

we can agree to disagree. i think your circumstance is different bc you kept/keep your child separate ALL the time.

most provider's reasoning for not allowing sick children (and the word "sick" is often thrown around lightly) to come to daycare is because they don't have the ability to keep a sick child separate from the well children. suddenly having the ability to do that when it's your own child seems hypocritical to me IF you're not giving them the option not to come and not have to pay. this is also assuming you don't have an extra person (assistant or spouse) caring for your own sick child in a separate area.

i personally wouldn't feel right telling someone they couldn't bring their child bc he/she had a fever and i couldn't separate the children, and then turning around and telling them that my own child had a fever, but i could keep him/her separate (in the same house) so if they didn't come, they still had to pay. it just screams hypocrisy.

[MNmamaOf4]

Update

I called DCM and spoke to her, she said she'd discuss it with her husband and give me a call back. She called back and said that they'd be bringing him for only part of the day because dad needs to go into work for a while, but if my other kids start coming down with something she said to contact her in the morning and she'd make other arrangements. So far the other kids have been fine. My DD is on an antibiotic and I'm going to keep her in my bedroom tomorrow and let her hang out, rest and watch movies.

If the DCP would have decided to keep the baby home, I would have credited them for the day. Because I don't feel that it's right to charge them for me being closed because of having a sick kid. FWIW, I live in a VERY small town and never once did I have to pay my former provider when her children were sick and I wouldn't feel right charging other people. I may change my tone on this a few years down the road.

Also, since I only have one DCB, I don't separate the littles from my own kids, especially because I have a 5 month old myself and my almost 6 year old adores her baby sister and babies in general and is very good at playing with her. DD would be so sad if I made her go do something separate than be around the daycare baby when she got home from school.

Thanks for all of your advice ladies. I appreciate it.

[nannyde]

we can agree to disagree. i think your circumstance is different bc you kept/keep your child separate ALL the time.

most provider's reasoning for not allowing sick children (and the word "sick" is often thrown around lightly) to come to daycare is because they don't have the ability to keep a sick child separate from the well children. suddenly having the ability to do that when it's your own child seems hypocritical to me IF you're not giving them the option not to come and not have to pay. this is also assuming you don't have an extra person (assistant or spouse) caring for your own sick child in a separate area.

i personally wouldn't feel right telling someone they couldn't bring their child bc he/she had a fever and i couldn't separate the children, and then turning around and telling them that my own child had a fever, but i could keep him/her separate (in the same house) so if they didn't come, they still had to pay. it just screams hypocrisy.

I see what you are saying but the difference for me is that I can leave my own sick kid SEPARATED and unsupervised. I don't have to supervise my sick child like I have to with a day care kid. I can leave my son alone in his room for hours when he is sick. With the day care kid I would have to run two areas... and supervise both... one for the sick kid and one for the well kids.

It all comes down to the fundamental difference between a day care kid and your own kid. My kid can run the house, be left unattended for hours, go outside and play in the back yard without an adult,eat whenever he wants, get his own foods, jump up and down on his bed, hide in the closet, take a bath etc. A day care kid has to have careful supervision at all times and running two areas of careful supervision at all times when you are by yourself and exposing YOU to the illness is too much to ask especially for a regular care fee.

[Atroya]

When my SA kids have been sick, if it is something bad enough, I call and give the DCP the option to keep their kids out and not have to pay. So far, they have all decided to bring them...I also keep my sick child separated either in my room or their room. If it happens on a weekend and they are given antibiotics, I don't even bother calling, because even though the child is still sick, they are no longer contagious. I do still keep them separated. I would never charge full pay if a parent decided not to bring their child because of MY child being sick...it is not the DCP fault that my child is sick. Even though my child is separated during DC hours, the child is out and about the rest of the time, potentially spreading the germs around the house..and some germs can last quite awhile in the air or on surfaces. So I would not blame the DCP for not wanting to bring their child.