Unimmunized children

I've just started my home daycare business and have been interviewing with parents that are looking to place their children with me.

I have met family that wishes to place their three year old child with me, but upon talking with them a second time, they have just told me that they don't believe in immunizations, and as a result, their child is not immunized.

Can anyone please shed some light on this subject, as I haven't come across this before. What should I do, and does anyone have any experience with this?

I have many friends who have chosen not to immunize their children. For school, they have a form to fill out to let the school know that they have made this choice. I have only had one family in my first five interviews ask how I felt about this, and I told them it is a non-issue for me as it is their personal decision as a family. If they are un-immunized, they are not putting the immunized children at risk. Of all the families I know who have chosen not to immunize, I am not aware of any of the children becoming ill. It is a tough decision with all the publicity about possible negative effects of the immunization, but as far as I know, no conclusive evidence yet. I know Jenny McCarthy blames her child's autism on the immunization, but autism is a very complex disease and numerous possible factors are still being researched. For myself, I refuse to have the flu shot, and have been healthy for many years, knock wood. No flus or colds in many, many years. I realize that this may change now that I'm opening a daycare...

Totally up to you if you 'care' one way or another about this ... children are not 'required' to be immunized anymore to enroll in either childcare or school ~ at least in Ontario your provinces rules might be different.

I do request that clients keep their 'records' up to date with me either way in the event of a break out or exposure to anything so that I can take the precautions required ~ so a client who is refraining from immunization would have a letter on file stating this, a client whose child is on a 'delayed schedule' would have documentation of the schedule and a client whose child is on a normal schedule would have their record reflect that. This was something that was required when I was with licensed agency and something I have kept up as a result.

Do I need to inform the other parents in my care about the un-immunized child?

To clarify, I do live in Ontario.

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Originally Posted by davidst

Do I need to inform the other parents in my care about the un-immunized child?.

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Hmmm ~ personal opinion again .... personally I think that is a violation of confidentiality to say X does not immunize ... that said if your advertizement or policy or anything states that 'all children must be immunized' and you are now changing that policy to be more accurate that 'all children must be immunized or have a letter of objection on file' than I would share the 'clarification' of that rule with all your clients yes ~ without stating if there is a immunized child in the program.

Reality is that immunized children pose no danger to immunized ones ~ in an outbreak of something those most at risk of contracting the disease are the 'non vaxed' children cause they are relying strictly on their one natural immune defense to fend it off.

Plus if anything non vaxers have more to be concerned about because when children receive the vaccination for something and return to care directly they can 'shed' that disease through bodily fluids for something like 24-48 hours and potentially there is a small risk than that they could infect a non vaxed child with the disease they were vaxed for.

davidst, I have a child in my daycare who is not immunized and one of my daughters does not immunize her children, so I respect the right of parents to make this choice. I have a policy in my contract that vaccinations must take place on Fridays so that the vaxed child is not at daycare for over 48 hours. I have mentioned to parents that I have a child in care who is not vaxed and it is my job to protect this child from any coughing, sneezing or physical touching that may pass on a live virus from a freshly vaxed child (some of the viruses in the vaccinations are dead but some are live). One of my mottos is that 'I'm here to protect ALL the children'. However, to respect the privacy of the family who do not vax I don't tell the other families which child is unvaxed.

I dont think their are any serious issues with unvaxed children, just like any other illness they will show signs and symptoms of any sickness/illness, and you will treat it as you do a cold or flu per your contracts. no immunization is a personal choice due to religion or other beliefs, I dont think you are putting anyone in any danger by having an unimunnized child around, you just have to be as proactive as you should be with all other kids and stress to all parents the sick policy. any signs or syptoms of illness? the child stays home or goes to doc. ultimately, it is your choice though, and if your not comfortable dont take the child. :)