Calling all writers lol Need help writing a letter

[Littledragon]

Hey guys,

I have written a letter thanking the moms and dads for being so understanding and co-operative while my son has been ill (it turned out that i took ONE day off as vacation and the next day my son was sick ugh isnt that always the way??) I also wrote a little bit about coughs. If you read my post from this morning, you understand where I coming from. I don't want to come off as unprofessional or "anal" or whatever, but I have one family who's son is asthmatic and they are aware of the little boy who has been coming with this cough for weeks now and they're a little concerned. Also, the day my son was sick, I called all the parents and told them I suspected my son dpneumonia. All the parents opted to stay home, except for one. She dropped her daughter off and said "I have too much to do today to have her with me." ??????!!!!! My kid might have penumonia and you're worried about having too much to do? Your kid could get sick!! PS: She doesn't work, so.....
I was really worried about my son and wanted to take him to the clinic, so I ended up calling her and telling her I would reimburse her for the day. When she picked up her daughter, she'd been crying. Clearly there was more going on but she didn't tell me. As for the little boy with the cough, as I said in my other post, he tends to get dropped off no matter what which can be quite frustrating.

Anyways, so I wrote this letter. There are a few things that concern me, that I want to say but that I am not sure I SHOULD say. If anyone wants to take a look at it and let me know...I highlight what I'm not sure about. My husband says I come off as "bitchy" in my letters, so I always like to get a second opinion when I write things that need to come off as professional and respectful.

Dear Parents,

For obvious reasons, I have opted out of doing the weekly report card for this week. There were no major concerns regarding any behavioral issues or any issues with any of the kids. They were all well behaved and sweet – as usual.

I would, however, like to take this moment to thank you and offer my sincerest appreciation for the patience and understanding you have all shown me this week. The last thing I expected when I decided to take my one vacation day this summer was to come home to a sick child. It sort of came out of nowhere and I didn’t expect it. I know it can be really frustrating and scary when you find out a child in your group care is ill, and it becomes a very uncertain time. I assure you, however, that I am, and will, take the utmost care in assuring that your child is not any more exposed to the virus as they already have been and that I communicate all and any updates regarding your child’s health, as well as C***’s. Thankfully, I have a very supportive father and mother who have volunteered to help ensure that C*** is cared for while I am running the daycare. Unfortunately, however, this is just one of those things that comes along with group care, as unfair as it can be. Again, thank you very much for your cooperation and understanding.

I would also like to take this opportunity to touch on the subject of illness and coughs. As mentioned, the spread of germs is just part of group care, however, that doesn’t mean that we don’t all need to be extremely cautious when it comes to coughs especially. C*** is susceptible to coughs as he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis when he was 7 months and R*** is also susceptible to coughs, his asthma flaring when he develops one. If you have any questions about the illness policy, you can take a look at the policies package I sent you upon signing. Coughs will be dealt with seriously. If you suspect your child is developing a cough that could be contagious, it is imperative that you inform me as soon as possible and that your child is brought to the doctor as soon as possible for reassurance. If I suspect your child has a “dangerous” cough, I will inform you immediately and request a doctor’s visit. If the cough is especially bad, I will request a doctor’s note before accepting the child back into care. (This was mentioned by a previous poster, and I think it's a great idea, considering I don't always trust some of my parents')

Please remember that this is not a drop off center. It is a small in-home daycare, where the children play together closely. If a child is sick, it is best to take one or two days off rather than your child becoming ill, or getting the other children ill, and having to take even more time off away from the daycare.

Thanks again moms and dads for your understanding and co-operation. As your daycare provider, I promise to be as honest as possible in regards to illnesses as well as communicate any and all information I feel is imperative to the health and safety of your child.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather!


Any suggestions/advice/opnions are welcome :)

[country girl]

I don't have a lot of experience with writing letters but I think this is a great letter. I don't feel you are being bitchy at all. :D

[Sandbox Sally]

I personally don't think you have to go into such detail about your closure. It happens. I would write something like,


Dear Parents,

For obvious reasons, I have opted out of doing the weekly report card for this week. There were no major concerns regarding any behavioral issues or any issues with any of the kids. They were all well behaved and sweet – as usual.

Thank you all so much for the patience and understanding you have all shown me this week with my son's illness.

I would also like to take this opportunity to touch on the subject of illness and coughs. As mentioned, the spread of germs is just part of group care, however, that doesn’t mean that we don’t all need to be extremely cautious when it comes to coughs especially. If you have any questions about the illness policy, you can take a look at the policies package I sent you upon signing. Coughs will be dealt with seriously. If you suspect your child is developing a cough that could be contagious, it is imperative that you inform me as soon as possible and that your child is brought to the doctor as soon as possible for reassurance. If I suspect your child has a “dangerous” cough, I will inform you immediately and request a doctor’s note before accepting the child back into care. This is to protect the other children in my care.

Thanks again moms and dads for your understanding and co-operation. As your daycare provider, I promise to communicate any and all information I feel is imperative to the health and safety of your child.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather!

[apples and bananas]

It looks like a great letter and a great way to revisit the policy you have in your daycare. I aggree with alpha... keep it to the point. It's a great letter, but a long one. :)

[Naftafia]

I completely agree that the shorter version, such as presented by Alphagetti is better as it is clear and concise and the parents more quickly get to the important parts of the letter and how it applies to them.
I would personally either omit the first paragraph or shift it to the last as it is not the main reason for the letter, so I find it shifts the focus of the letter.

Other suggestions include the following:
- adding that a copy of the illness policy will be posted at the entrance for anyone to review
- change this "Coughs will be dealt with seriously" to "The policy is in place to protect all our children and minimize the risk of spreading important illnesses. Although coughing often seems to be a less important symptom, it could be a sign of important illnesses, which you know xxxx and xxx are more succeptible too because of their condition. Thus, coughing will also have to be addressed in a serious manner" I fear that the previous way in which this was presented could be interpreted that other illnesses are not as important and could slip by...
- I would finish the letter saying that you are available should anyone have any questions or concerns regarding the points addressed above
- I would change this sentence "This is to protect all the children in my care."

I hope this helps. I worked as senior occupational therapist in a medico-legal environment before becoming a caregiver... which may help explain my "anal" approach to reading and writting a letter!! ;)

It is always hard to auto-correct, especially when it is something very personal!

[Momof4]

Good letter, but a little wordy, I agree. But I like your spelling, I'd give you an A!

I'm really glad your dcparents were kind to you and understanding.

[Littledragon]

I have a degree in Professional Writing so EVERYTHING I write tends to be a little wordy haha

What about the drop-in center paragraph? I know this may upset some of my parents, but I am just appalled that people think they can just drop their kids off because they don't feel like dealing with their kids. ??

[Momof4]

If you add this paragraph to Alpha's suggested letter I would change that paragraph to something like this:

Please remember that this is a small in-home daycare where the children play together closely. If your child is sick please keep them at home and take one or two days off work to care for them so that all of the children in the daycare are not infected. It is my job to protect all of the children and you would not want me to allow a sick child into care who could infect your child.

[Mamma_Mia]

I think with all the tips mentioned above it's a great letter!

[Littledragon]

Thanks! The reason I wanted to add the drop in center thing is because I texted all the parents bc MY son possibily had pneumonia. All the parents decided to keep their kids home, obviously. Except one. She doesn't have a job and she said, "I'm sorry, I have too much to do today to have her with me." Meanwhile, my son is having trouble breathing and I want to take him to the clinic. I ended up calling her and telling her she had to come pick up her daughter and I would reimburse her for the day. She was furious when she picked up her daughter, was even crying. She doesn't work! Can one day with her daughter be that terrible?! Like, it's as if she wasn't even concerned that her daughter could contract a serious illness.
Luckily, my son didn't have pneumonia, but he had croup, which can be just as serious.

Then again this morning, one of the other parents asked if they had to pay for the day that my son was sick. I said yes. They didn't like that answer. I said, I was open and everyone CHOSE to keep their kids at home. If I had closed it would be a different story, but I was open and you chose to keep your son at home.

I am really struggling with this type of thing. I mean, it's one thing is their kid is sick, and I ask them to stay home, but it's another thing if it's my son who is sick. Now, I'm afraid he's going to get the other kids sick and they're going to be upset bc they still have to pay for care.

Two of my families are first time daycare families, so they don't really understand or appreciate the rules. Now I'm wondering if I should add the closure thing to the letter too. I don't want to, but I always feel these issues need to be addressed so that I don't have to be unexpectedly contronted about them at 7:30 in the morning.

I don't like daycare politics. Can't we just take care of the kids and they just leave us alone?? lol

[Momof4]

It's a learning curve, but we do get tougher about enforcing our contract rules as we go along and learn when we will make small exceptions and when it is necessary to be strict. So many children's illnesses are contagious even before there are any symptoms showing, like HF&M and Varicella. We can't get away from the viruses no matter what we do.

I always go by my sick policy and especially my fever rules. There have been times when I've allowed a child to stay for the day when they are so lethargic I have to cancel our plans to go outside for the benefit of their health. Technically I have no reason to send the child home but it's nice when the parents make arrangements when they see that their child is feeling like crap.

I've learned to be very flexible with my plans for this reason especially during the winter when you can have multiple sickies in your house and going through boxes and boxes of tissues and you feel like all you do is wipe noses and wash your hands over and over all day!

[Naftafia]

It is always very difficult to inforce some of the policies when it comes to health of the kids at care but mainly when it concerned our family. And I must agree that when our kid is sick we do sometimes hope that the parents will keep their kids home so lessen the load and allow us to give our kid more attention. However, if I chose to remain open I know that at least one or two of the kids will be here as the parents do have a hard time taking days off and they are not the type to fear any illness. So if I really believe that what my children have is dangerous or chose to take them to the clinic, then I close.

I can't help but think, that if you decided to remain open, it is not fair to be upset that she brought her child over. :o (although i understand the emotions involved). The way I see it is that the parents trust us in our decision in being able to care for our kid and the others and keep them safe and happy.... every day we open! It is very hard not to be able to take a sick paid day for us or our kids (I know I have a 3 year old and a one year old... and did this throughout my pregnancy and started over 2 weeks after giving birth).... but this is one of the few downsides of our job! :mellow:

I always try to be as fair as possible. If my son is sick and I chose to be open I will clearly tell the parents why I am open and how I planned out the day and how it will affect the other kids because if their kid then catches the same thing.... i am kinda obliged to take them in.

I know my thoughts are drifting from the original content of this post... but was just hoping to get other people's thought on this too. Question to everyone: I don't know how everyone's policies are written out but if you would turn down a child for x, y, z symptoms, are you open when your child has these same symptoms? I have been struggling with this and simply wonder what your thoughts are?

[Littledragon]

Question to everyone: I don't know how everyone's policies are written out but if you would turn down a child for x, y, z symptoms, are you open when your child has these same symptoms? I have been struggling with this and simply wonder what your thoughts are?

I am struggling with this too! I just wrote out my letter and was like..if your kid has a cough blah blah blah, because I am almost certain that one of the other kids gave my kid this cough bc his parents refused to admit he was sick...other issue entirely, but it doesn't change the fact that he is the one who is proven to be sick and I didn't want to sound like I was blaming them or saying if your kids are sick blah blah blah...cause MY kid is the one who has all the symptoms. I just said, if my son has a cough or an illness, i will be sure to be as honest as possible.

My biggest thing that I struggle with is whether I should charge for care if I or my son is the one who got them sick. I know you say you're kind of obligated, but I don't really agree with that. Because, yes, my kid got him or her sick, but that doesn't mean I should expose the other kids to an illness out of guilt or obligation. I just wonder if I should still charge them. Because I will refuse them, but I struggle with making them pay. Ugh.

[Crayola kiddies]

Well ...... I believe that there is some what of a double standard when it comes to the 24-hour rule. What I mean is if my child has a fever or has the flu Or a sore throat and I choise not to send my child to school and all my child is going to do is lay in my bed and watch tv then I am not going to close. This is my child's home and if they are sick this is where they need to be and this is the part of home daycare that parents have to accept. Otherwise they need to go to center daycare and pay all the higher center fees that are associated with it. Now if all three of my kids were sick and there was no way that I could properly care for the dcks as well as attend to my sick children then yes I would close and I would adjust the next payment for the parents.

[Inspired by Reggio]

My policy for sick days if that if I am open you pay ~ if your child is too 'sick to attend group care according to public health guidelines' you stay home and you still pay because you are paying for your space within my program and that is how my fees are set.

There are several ways to look at this when setting your fees and policies

A) you figure out how much annual revenue you need to make per space in your program to cover your expenses and still have a viable income and you divide that # by 52 weeks and this is the WEEKLY FEE charged to clients ... you pay that fee regardless of the program being open or closed for Stats, your X days of vacation, their sick days or your X sick days (define how many are 'included' in this fee) and so forth cause they are paying for the 'space' within the program.

B) you figure out how much revenue you need to make to cover your expenses and still have a viable income and you divide that # the 260 work days in a year minus any days you want to allow them NOT to pay you for whatever reason and this is the DAILY FEE charged to clients ... and if the program 'is closed' two days in a week than they only pay 3x daily fee that week or if their child is absent and you have allotted them 10 sick days were they do not pay than they do not pay until the 11th day and than they pay regardless? It is your job than to 'budget' for these lower paid weeks by putting the EXTRA income you earn from clients because you are charging them a higher daily rate each week.

Fact remains EITHER WAY clients end up paying you the same because you need the SAME INCOME to be viable in both scenarios .... so they pay you a higher daily rate and do not pay for closures or they pay a lower consistent weekly fee and they pay regardless .... at the end of the year if both clients do not 'exceed' time off.

So for example I have two fee options

A) is $160 a week and this fee requires payment for the following 'no program' days 10 stats, 10 vacation days for me and 10 personal/sick days for me ~ clients pay for any additional time THEY take off from the program to hold their space ie child's sickness, family vacation or inclement weather where they choose not to travel in it.

B) is $34.60 a day for $173 a week and this fee plan requires payment for all 10 stats but if the program is closed for any other reason their fees are lowered by $34.60 each day it is closed in that week ~ clients still pay for any time THEY take off from the program to hold their space sickness, vacation or inclement weather where they choose not to travel in it. Clients who I have on this payment plan it is MY job to put aside 8% of their weekly fee into my savings to cover for those weeks when their payment 'drops' due to a closure!

If I wanted to allow the FAMILIES time off unpaid for their vacation or sick days those rates would just go up obviously to accommodate for the lost revenue ;)

Bottom line with childcare budgeting is our income is CAPPED by the government rules and regulations ..... unlike other self employed people like a 'hairdresser' for example who can earn as much as they are able to squeeze in per day .... so for example lets say normally they can cut/color 8 clients a day and earn $800 a day or $4000 a week but they know next week they are going to be closed for a STAT they can instead book in 10 clients a day that week to make up for the lost day and they still earn $4000 despite only working 4 days ~ we do not have that option ... we are only allowed to care for X amount of children per day as per our province rules ... therefore our FEES have to be more rigid and reflective of that limitation to our income!