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have integrity
I read comment after comment that many providers "give parents the option" if they want to bring the child or not, when the provider's child is sick. If the daycare parents can't (and shouldn't) bring their sick child to daycare, why can the daycare stay open if their children are sick? There is no difference. Two things wrong with this:
1) That is putting the daycare children at risk for becoming ill.
2) This is questionable ethics. Giving parents the "option" to bring their healthy child to be exposed to a sick child? Of course parents will not bring their child! But since the provider wasn't the one to cancel, then they still get paid. Which makes it a free paid sick day.
Be ethical here and just use a sick day. Build sick days into your contract if you need to, instead of sneaking in a free sick day unfairly. If you were in the parents shoes, you wouldn't want to be put in that situation. Don't think they don't know what you are doing. Parents want to have good relationships with their daycare providers and this deceitful act makes it difficult for parents. Most parents would not bring their child, but not complain because they don't want to jeopardize their relationship with the person whom they trust their children with everyday.
Please run your business with honestly and integrity.Comment
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It depends on how sick. Really sick, needing lots of extra snuggles/care, then yes I will close. I didn't used to but then the one time they got really sick and my attention had to be slipt between the dck's I felt terrible. Just minor stuff though, nope. I'll let parents know what symptoms they have and leave it up to them to decide. They still pay if they choose to come. They may get a slight reduction to their bill if I have to close and it effects how manyndays they can have. I.e. full time family who needs 5 days, yes I'll give them a credit for a day I have to close. Part time family, not so much. The way our contract is written is the still pay the same amount unless I am closed more days then I said I would provide. So if I'm closed 4 days (highly unlikely) they would get a credit. By as long as I am open 3 days out of the week the rate stays the same (they're days change every week, which is why it can be any 3).Comment
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realistically...
If your own children are old enough to fully take care of themselves and kept completely isolated from everyone, then sure, the chances of spreading illness is less than having the sick child coughing directly all over another child. However, spreading the illness is still at risk.
In most cases "complete isolation" is not quite the case. Most in-home daycare providers do not have a home conducive to have two completely separate spaces without any sort of cross-contamination. When a provider's child is not old enough to be isolated, they ARE going to cough all over another child. (Maybe this sounds dramatic, but the point is they are going to share their sick germs)
And, of course, discretion should be used. If a provider's child just has a runny nose, that is not reason to close down the shop. (a runny nosed DCK should still be welcomed at daycare, as well) Rules need to be equal on both sides. If a certain sickness/symptom prevents a child from coming to daycare, a provider's child with that same sickness/symptom warrants reason for closing to prevent exposure to other children. Unless said sick child is able to be cared for by someone else in another home and leaves/returns while the DCK are not present.
When a provider states that daycare children are welcome in their home (with a sick child present), it sends a misleading message to parents, even if the symptoms are stated. The message is, "Your child will be safe here." Parents have to trust the provider's discretion and when a provider knowingly exposes their ill child to other children it violates that trust and discredits the provider's integrity.
We have to remember that BEFORE this business comes the children. My children, your children, everyone's children involved.Comment
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ol.. I wish! I have some families that will always use back up if I let them know another child is ill. Then I have families who will bring their kids, even on the days my own DD can't even keep water down (and she's 4, so I can't leave her alone in her room all day).
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then close
If your daughter is that sick, you should take the day off to care for her. Unless I am missing something, wouldn't that be your fault for remaining open?ol.. I wish! I have some families that will always use back up if I let them know another child is ill. Then I have families who will bring their kids, even on the days my own DD can't even keep water down (and she's 4, so I can't leave her alone in her room all day).
If you have families that always use back up care instead of knowingly exposing their children to illness, do you think they might be thinking you should be closed? They may not bring up the issue for fear of upsetting the person they trust their children with everyday. Try thinking of this situation from a different angle. Would you like it if they said "Our child is sick so we aren't going to pay you." Same thing but in reverse, really.Comment
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I agree wholeheartedly with the statements you quoted but expecting a parent (including a provider parent) to be able to give advance notice of illness is completely unrealistic.
IME, most of the time your child will go to bed fine only to wake at 2 am with a fever or vomiting. Or they spend the day as normal only to appaer ill at bed or bath time once the day winds down so those last minute or late night calls/texts are usually unavoidable.Comment
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I give them the option and if they don't want to come, I don't charge them. If my kid has a really bad illness, I would close at no charge. It is not that big of a deal in my experience. I don't think it is unethical to give the option and still charge them either. As with anything, if it is in the contract that you signed, then you follow the policy. For me, I would probably not choose a daycare that charged me if I chose to keep my child home, but to each their own
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But it IS a problem...
The problem is this is usually NOT written into contracts. It's usually an unwritten standard followed by daycare providers so they don't have to skip a day of payment when their own children are ill.
And there IS an issue when they give the option, because if the child is contagious, there is no reason they should be exposing other children. Like stated in a previous comment, sick daycare kids should not GO to daycare either, as to not expose others. Just as the providers children should not be exposing others as well.Comment
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I do agree that providers SHOULD close when their child is so ill that they require 1:1 care or that the illness is highly contagious. No day care child should be in attendance if the provider's child has a stomach bug and is throwing up every ten minutes.
Buuuut, the flip side of that is clients complaining when the provider closes. Or pulling their child when the provider closes. And parents making the *informed* decision to send their child even though they know the providers child is sick.
When my kids were little, I closed, period. Because we already know some clients do not make the best decisions. So I made it. Now that they are older and don't need or want as much nursing when ill, I don't always close. And in fact my contract DOES state
"At times a member of the providers family MAY be home during the day due to minor illness. As that person will NOT be in the main day care area and will NOT be in contact with the child care children, the provider will NOT notify the families in that event. In the event of a serious or contagious illness, or one that requires 1:1 care, then child care will be CLOSED. Per the contract it is the parent's responsibility to have back up care in this event. Failure to do so will result in termination of care."
Oh, and I absolutely charge for sick days. I didn't when I started out and guess who was always sending their kids sick? And then getting me and my kids sick? If they know they are paying either way, they tend to be more cautious about it
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This.
I would add that my dcps will drop their kids off as long as I am upright and dressed.
Except they might not notice whether I am dressed. Or upright.
I do agree that providers SHOULD close when their child is so ill that they require 1:1 care or that the illness is highly contagious. No day care child should be in attendance if the provider's child has a stomach bug and is throwing up every ten minutes.
Buuuut, the flip side of that is clients complaining when the provider closes. Or pulling their child when the provider closes. And parents making the *informed* decision to send their child even though they know the providers child is sick.
When my kids were little, I closed, period. Because we already know some clients do not make the best decisions. So I made it. Now that they are older and don't need or want as much nursing when ill, I don't always close. And in fact my contract DOES state
"At times a member of the providers family MAY be home during the day due to minor illness. As that person will NOT be in the main day care area and will NOT be in contact with the child care children, the provider will NOT notify the families in that event. In the event of a serious or contagious illness, or one that requires 1:1 care, then child care will be CLOSED. Per the contract it is the parent's responsibility to have back up care in this event. Failure to do so will result in termination of care."
Oh, and I absolutely charge for sick days. I didn't when I started out and guess who was always sending their kids sick? And then getting me and my kids sick? If they know they are paying either way, they tend to be more cautious about itComment
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