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A child that is throwing up needs constant supervision. This symptom could be the onset of something serious and is also a potential choking hazard. With other children to care for, this would be extremely difficult and unfair to the other children in my care who deserve focused attention and not to be exposed more than they have been to a potential illness. We are not doctors, so we must be vigilant for a worse case scenario when there is a sudden onset of illness.
The child must be picked up within an hour and this responsibility falls on the parents to have made arrangements ahead of time should a pick up call from daycare occurs.
The work place needs to be more accommodating to parents who must leave to attend to their child. What if the parent was throwing up at work? Would they be encouraged to stay?
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Bright Sparks, that is a good idea to have a time frame in your contract so parents know upfront that when you mean ASAP you mean it. If they know that leaving their workplace is going to be tricky than maybe your dc isn't the one for them.
You would think that dc centres would have staff working not in ratio but at the last dc I worked at this wasn't the case. If a staff needed to leave for any reason it was pure chaos!!
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Mimi, I have to say that I disagree (again lol) with the comment "a work place needs to be more accommodating to parents". This will sound harsh but IMO it is just reality. Parents do not deserve to be treated special. If you are a parent and choose to work than it is YOUR responsibility to have a plan for when situations like this arise. It is not up to your workplace to accommodate you and your sick child.
So yes, even though I want a puking child picked up ASAP, I also understand that for some parents it's not so black and white. This is why it is up to me to make sure that during the interview they know how important this is. Thankfully I haven't had any parents who have refused to pick up their sick child.
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I have a 60 minute time frame from when I call to when the child must be picked up
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It is not so much that parents need to be treated special, but when a business hires someone, they have to expect that they might be parents and need that consideration. Just as an expectant mom needs to take time for her dr's appointments, or someone who suffers from migraines may need to take the occasional day off or the person who has a physical handicap needs certain considerations, the work place has to understand that they hire people not machines and should be understanding (of course with in reason) of their employees.
Many company's are already on board with this as they offer job sharing, flex hours and working from home opportunities to name a few.
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I had this happen to be last year. Dcg arrived under the weather, got worse as the day went off. I called mom and she admitted to doping and dropping and refused to pick up. I called all her alternatives and got grandma to come pick up. Mom came by that week with a cheque and she got notice
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I agree mimi, all within reason! I have just worked with some parents who felt that because they had children they deserved special treatment and it never sat well with me. They thought that they should get all the early shifts so that they could attend every single sports game, dance recital, etc and that they should get to leave work for a couple hours to attend field trips and track and field days etc.
To those who have a time limit, do you find that parents take that hour to pick up or do they come quickly? For the most part, my parents pick up within 15-30 minutes but I do think having a time frame is a good idea and may consider putting that into my contract. I just don't want parents to think they have an hour to come get their child.
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5 Little Monkeys, I agree that parents shouldn't have 'special treatment' but as the other ladies have stated I do expect that there is an alternative put in place if the parent cannot pick their child up themselves. If it takes up to an hour for the child to be picked up, I understand that. But I would never be ok with someone REFUSING to pick up their child. This is discussed during my interviews, I expect there to be a back up. One way or another a sick child must be picked up.
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I agree Jen. I do think an hour is enough time to be able to find someone to pick up. A complete refusal to pick up their sick child would for sure get them a strike against them and maybe even an immediate dismissal. Honestly, it would all depend on the bigger picture....if they are a good family in other areas or not.
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I tell parents that they must have back up care available. If a parent REFUSED to pick up their own sick child, I don't think I would continue childcare for that family. While I get that it is sometimes difficult foe parents to find alternate care, it is necessarry.
