Help Me with my NEW Sick Policy

I don't know any kids who are only sick 1-2X per year, unless we are only talking about flu with fever, vomiting. I have had kids on puffers for coughs that are persistent and it wasn't a problem for me. Many kids catch every cold that comes around, which actually could mean that they are sick (with cold symptoms) 1-2 X per month especially if they are new to daycare and haven't been exposed to a lot of things before. Anyway, this is just my opinion, but again, I completely understand you terminating based on her sending the child with fever, diahrea etc knowingly...that is totally unacceptable.

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Originally Posted by CPST_Manda

I have it in my contract that children are to stay home if they are contagious. I agree with you about a common cold but her kids have only been in care for 6 weeks and they are always sick. They came to me coughing and on puffers for 10 days (she didn't mention this little gem until I asked her about the stomach bug!)... then the stomach bug debacle and now her son arrives coughing and snotting all over my front porch... NO THANKS. Another red flag went up when she told me she's "never had to keep her kids home" and "it's a problem because I work" That to me just affirms what I think she has done and will continue to do; send sick kids to daycare. I'm done with this family!!! I definitely understand your point about the common colds, but if there are kids in my daycare that are sick every few weeks then I will ask them to leave too. Most kids are sick 1-2x/year not 1-2x/month.

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Carla, your post is interesting but most of us are not licensed in Ontario, not all, but most. That's why we need support forums like this one so that we can ask questions of other daycare providers to make sure we are all being fair with our clients.

I agree with kangaroomama again that sometimes you get a child who just seems to be sick nonstop but if it's always a virus there is nothing you can do. I had a baby start here who had nonstop ear infections but the parents got him on antibiotics quickly and there wasn't much danger of him spreading it to the others. So I let him come except for the days when he had a fever at the beginning which gave us the clue he was getting another ear infection of course.

I find that children seem to be nonstop sick when they are 1 because they are being exposed to all the new germs out in the world after having their parents protecting them for the first year at home. At least that's the way it is for me because most children start with me at about 10-11 months old.

I guess my kids are just abnormally healthy! LOL I've been taking them to OEYCs since they were babies and they are constantly exposed to many viruses throughout the year but I can usually bank on one good fever and a cold.... for the YEAR. It doesn't seem normal to me that kids are sick every 2 weeks. They constantly asked for unhealthy foods so I guess I'm not surprised about their immune system but even so... my nephew eats terribly and even he's not sick every 2 weeks!

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Originally Posted by carla

green mucos does not mean a infection. I just went to the Dr and had green stuff coming from my lungs. the dr said it was not contagious and i was fine. your provience should have a sick child policy and you should follow it. in Alberta our policy is :Potential health risk
8(1) Subject to subsection (3), where the licence holder or other
care provider knows or has reason to believe that a child is
exhibiting signs or symptoms of illness as set out in subsection (2),
the licence holder must ensure
(a) that the child’s parent arranges for the immediate removal
of the child from the program premises, and
(b) that the child does not return to the program premises
until the licence holder is satisfied that the child no longer
poses a health risk to persons on the program premises.
(2) Signs or symptoms of illness exhibited by a child include the
child
(a) vomiting, having a fever, diarrhea or a new or
unexplained rash or cough,
(b) requiring greater care and attention than can be provided
without compromising the care of the other children in the
program, or
(c) having or displaying any other illness or symptom the
licence holder or other care provider knows or believes
may indicate that the child poses a health risk to persons
on the program premises.
(3) Subsection (1) does not apply if the child’s parent provides
written notice from a physician indicating the child does not pose a
health risk to persons on the program premises.

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Carla he did have a new cough as well as nasal discharge. The cough had just started that morning. Honestly, if it were any other kid I probably wouldn't have cared but because this lady had already lied about other illnesses I was "throwing the book" at her in hopes that she would leave care. I emailed her my updated policies effective immediately and told her I would waive the 2 weeks notice for cancellation if she "chose" to find alternate care. She decided she wanted to find alternate care after all WOOOHHOOOOO!

When she came to the door she told me she was upset because she lost a 10K account because she couldn't deliver an ad campaign she had been working on on time. Pffffffft. YOUR kid is sick.... just because you have to PAY for a sick day does not mean they get to COME SICK. I politely told her I understood her frustration at having to lose income when your kids are sick. There are at least 10 other daycares in our town; PICK ONE! (I didn't say that last part! I was just THINKING that LOL)

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Originally Posted by CPST_Manda

I guess my kids are just abnormally healthy! LOL I've been taking them to OEYCs since they were babies and they are constantly exposed to many viruses throughout the year but I can usually bank on one good fever and a cold.... for the YEAR. It doesn't seem normal to me that kids are sick every 2 weeks. They constantly asked for unhealthy foods so I guess I'm not surprised about their immune system but even so... my nephew eats terribly and even he's not sick every 2 weeks!

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I completely get where you are coming from. We are a NON allopathic family (meaning we don't take ANY prescriptions at all and my kids have never been vaxed) and honestly, YEARS can go by between my kids getting sick.

I also don't understand why these kids are sick ALLLLL the time. It's NOT normal to be sick all the time. Everyone thinks it is but it is NOT. Your innate is able to keep you healthy if YOU do what's needed to not impair the 100% fully functioning body you were born with.

So, yeah, I get frustrated by the constant tap dripping of snot from all the dckids I have too.

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Originally Posted by Judy Trickett

I completely get where you are coming from. We are a NON allopathic family (meaning we don't take ANY prescriptions at all and my kids have never been vaxed) and honestly, YEARS can go by between my kids getting sick.

I also don't understand why these kids are sick ALLLLL the time. It's NOT normal to be sick all the time. Everyone thinks it is but it is NOT. Your innate is able to keep you healthy if YOU do what's needed to not impair the 100% fully functioning body you were born with.

So, yeah, I get frustrated by the constant tap dripping of snot from all the dckids I have too.

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That's funny, my kids are totally not vaxed too. There's something to be said about an intact immune system it seems ;)

My kids are vaxed but we rarely get sick either ....maybe once or twice a year and that's with all the daycare kids ....we grow all our own vegetables organically and I put it all in the freezer or cold storage , we spend lots if time outside , and I can't understand these kids that are constantly sick .... I had a dck puke all over my floor today so can't wait to see the domino effect from that I have another one that is congested the whole winter....I have a friend that has her child in a center and I can't believe how sick he is all the time ... You name it he's had it at least once and every food allergy going ....I guess I am lucky my kids are so healthy. but I also don't disinfect them everytime they come in contact with a germ.

I feed my kids really healthy food (hardly anything processed, lots of fruits and veggies, etc) and almost zero junk food and I use mainly natural cleaning products...I am very concious about health...we don't use air fresheners, dryer sheets or other products known to cause problems. However, both myself and my kids catch a fair number of colds over the year and a flu or two as well. I am pretty careful about handwashing with soap and water and I clean as much as is possible...I don't know what else I could do to prevent illness. Some people catch more things than others and it is not always about what they eat or don't eat or the lifestyle they live. That said, there can be environmental or nutritional reasons for kids getting sick a lot, but not always and it doesn't mean it is the parents or the kids' fault.

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Originally Posted by kangaroomama

I feed my kids really healthy food (hardly anything processed, lots of fruits and veggies, etc) and almost zero junk food and I use mainly natural cleaning products...I am very concious about health...we don't use air fresheners, dryer sheets or other products known to cause problems. However, both myself and my kids catch a fair number of colds over the year and a flu or two as well. I am pretty careful about handwashing with soap and water and I clean as much as is possible...I don't know what else I could do to prevent illness. Some people catch more things than others and it is not always about what they eat or don't eat or the lifestyle they live. That said, there can be environmental or nutritional reasons for kids getting sick a lot, but not always and it doesn't mean it is the parents or the kids' fault.

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I agree with this 100%, especially after reading Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr Natasha Campbell. I eat very well (just like my kids) but I am more prone to illness than my kids. I also have a fair amount of autoimmune problems (allergies and eczema). I think in the case of this particular family it most definitely is food and lifestyle though. Their 5 year old is obese and regularly asks for Kraft Dinner and hot dogs, peanut butter and jam etc. She often comes to me "having already eaten Bear Paws" for breakfast. Nutritional value of these foods? They are anti-nutritious and just feed the bad bacteria in your gut causing chronic inflammation and digestive upset, which directly impacts your immune system. But their parents are too busy watching ANTM to give a crap. I digress.

I hear you on this! I can't believe the crap many people feed their kids and call it food! I have no idea what ANTM is, but I understand your sentiments. My youngest kids have never had Kraft dinner and my oldest (16 years) gets it once a year in his stocking as a treat...not a regular meal! This is one of the reasons I started my own daycare...I couldn't find anyone who serves meals that meet my standards for my kids.

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Originally Posted by CPST_Manda

I agree with this 100%, especially after reading Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr Natasha Campbell. I eat very well (just like my kids) but I am more prone to illness than my kids. I also have a fair amount of autoimmune problems (allergies and eczema). I think in the case of this particular family it most definitely is food and lifestyle though. Their 5 year old is obese and regularly asks for Kraft Dinner and hot dogs, peanut butter and jam etc. She often comes to me "having already eaten Bear Paws" for breakfast. Nutritional value of these foods? They are anti-nutritious and just feed the bad bacteria in your gut causing chronic inflammation and digestive upset, which directly impacts your immune system. But their parents are too busy watching ANTM to give a crap. I digress.

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