Help Me with my NEW Sick Policy

I recently found out (via FB) that a new daycare family brought her kids to my house the next day after having a contagious stomach bug. One by one, we all got it. As a result my husband had to postpone a real estate exam he had scheduled. I had to postpone my daughter's 2nd birthday party (imagine Rotavirus in the lootbags!?!) I've also had to tell the mom of the other little boy I watch to stay home for 2 weeks because I didn't want him to get sick too. This has cost us 400.00 in daycare losses. Her son missed a day of care when *I* was vomiting and she had the nerve to ask me to make up the day, since my sick policy is that I don't get paid for sick days.

I'm thinking since parents have to pay me if their kids are sick... but I don't have to pay them if *I'm* sick, it's not very encouraging for parents to keep their sick kids home. Can someone help me with an updated policy on illness? I was thinking:

I now get a certain number of sick days.
If kids are sick they would pay 1/2 instead of the full day.

If they have a contagious illness I will require a doctor's note for re-entry into daycare.

I'm so angry that this family did this to me (and then LIED about when the kids were sick... thanks FB!) I really want to just ask them to leave care. I feel like she violated my entire family but I'm too shy to call her out on lying about the day her kids were sick etc. Any advice appreciated.

People like this aren't likely to change and you'll find yourself in the same situation (or worse) in the future. Bust her on her lie using facebook. I've had my fair share of "drama", particularly with one family, who viollated each and every one of my contract policies at one point or another in their 11 months of care in my house. I let it go on for so long because I, like you, were too shy to confront them. Their kid was always bringing some sort of bug into the group and out of 25 or so colds/viruses that each of the dc kids had, all but 1 came from this kid. Mom even went as far as drugging her son before she dropped him off and not telling me that he had a fever of 102, was vomiting and had and major diarrhea. Guess what I stumbled onto after the drugs wore off...yep, another fever, more vomiting and even more diarrhea.

If I could do things over again I would have turfed their asses to the curb and filled that spot with a family that doesn't walk all over me or my contract, but this time around lesson learned. I've since changed my contract to be more in favor of the health and safety of the group and not about what is convenient for the family. I've also considered charging for a number of sick days per year, but with my current(and long term) clients, I don't feel the need. The remaining famillies are all awesome and after having seen what ole' mommy dearest did with her kid and how often their kids have been sick because of it, they all have a better appreciation for my contract and respect that when their kids are sick beyond a cold, they are to keep them home.

Would your other famillies be agreeable to the change? If not, then evolve your contract for any new famillies to pay. Any new family that doesn't agree to the changes/new contract would probably be a family you wouldn't want to work with anyway, so hold out for the ones that respect you enough to not have to have them pay for sick time. The right famillies wouldn't put you in that spot

Good luck! Sometimes stories like these make me so grateful for the fact that the disaster family I just referenced are gone, and the famillies I still have are so awesome.

You will unfortunately always have inconsiderate people mixed in with the wonderful familes who come to your daycare. I have a little boy in my daycare who never actually gets really sick, but he's definitely a carrier. If he gets a sniffle and a bit of a cough the rest of us get pneumonia! It isn't his Mom's fault that she doesn't keep him home but he scares the bejebus out of me when he gets a little sick!

My sick policy also states that there must be a 24 hour period symptom-free after vomiting or diarrhea and that is really difficult to enforce. I always tell my clients that they would not want a child coming here with a flu bug to infect their child so they shouldn't bring their child here to infect all the others and me. I wrote 3 paid personal days into my contract a few years back so that if one of these little people infect me with a flu I will still get paid but it would be terrible to have 5 families inconvenienced because one family was inconsiderate as just happened to you.

I have 4 paid personal days (in addition to stats and 10 days vacation). I reserve these days for when I (or my children) are too sick to have the daycare open.
When interviewing a family, I discuss this policy. I let them know that the reality is, with 4 kids, I MAY need to take an unexpected day off. I avoid this at all cost, but it happens. I also have it in my handbook that if their child is sick, they still pay regular fee. If I call them and give them the option of keeping the child home, and they choose to, they still pay regular fee. If I call and TELL them I am closing, then I will put that day down as a personal day.
I will make exceptions, in certain cases. The other day, my son was throwing up in the night. I had a p/t due, and called them in the morning to make them aware. I told them that I was fine, but they chose to keep their little guy home. They now have a "free" day to apply to the remainder of the month or to next month, since they pay in advance on the first.
People have been pretty good for this, thankfully. I think I have a policy that is fairly kind to me, haha, but I take the approach with parents of "putting the shoe on the other foot". They wouldn't appreciate having someone else bring their sick kid! I do have a 24 hour rule (no vomitting or runs), but it is very tough to enforce that.
I would definitely be cautious when dealing with this family. I would bet money that if you keep them in care, this is only going to be the first of many issues. Could be wrong.... but it just seems like a warning sign. I don't know if I would say or do anything now, but in future, they would be on a short leash!!

Just remember that if you are going to have a very strict illness policy about the kids coming to care then your parents will expect you to adhere to the same policy as far as your own children go and you will end up taking a lot of unpaid days off while your own child is in that 24 hour window - running around the house appearing well, bored and unable to have his friends come to care and you not getting paid.

I am sorry that this has happened to you! For my sick policy parents pay for the day regardless if there child is ill. If they have fever, vomiting, loose bm's,no energy etc they stay at home or I call for them to be picked up.

I also include three sick days a year, paid for myself ( I have not had to use one yet, knock on wood!)

I hope this helps and good luck!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I think I am going to change my contract.... WITH HER. Who says I have to have the same contract with every parent?! I don't charge her the same rate I charge other parents (another shocker to some of you vet's I'm sure lol) so she can accept my new terms of find new care. At this point, I don't care which.

i'm going to be sending this email (just to her)... what do you guys think?

POLICY CHANGES FOR 2012

Dear Parents,

I'm sending this email to inform parents of CHANGES to my current policy regarding illness and sick days.

Currently (part of) my sick policy is: If your child(ren) miss a day of care due to illness the full day rate applies but if I have to close my daycare due to illness parents get a refund. This policy is in need of immediate change to encourage parents to keep their sick child(ren) home so that I can ensure the health and safety of the other kids in care, my family, and also to protect myself from loss of income.

Effective immediately I am changing the policy to entitle me to 4 paid sick days. Instead of parents having to pay the full day rate when their child is absent due to illness I am changing that to 75% of the full day rate.

Parents who deliberately send a sick child to daycare will be asked to leave care. . The health of my family and my group of kids is my FIRST priority. I understand it's frustrating to have to pay for a day that your child does not attend care but this is my business and my sole source of income. I deserve the security of knowing how much money I will make on any given week and I also deserve to have the health of my family and other daycare children respected.

As a new daycare my policies may not be perfect so as issues arise I will amend and correct my policies and procedures accordingly. I thank you for your understanding and co-operation.

If anyone has any questions or concerns over the policy changes I would be happy to discuss them at drop-off/pick-up, over the phone etc.

See you all Monday.

Remember that it is your business and you do not have to explain your reasons for your policies other than to say that it has become necessary to make changes for your home and the good of all families in your daycare.

Did you just renew your contract or do you renew them annually? I renew mine every Nov. 1st and only make changes once a year upon renewal. I do like to have the same contract for every family and I find that is fair and uncomplicated. If you have only one family who is desrepectful I can see why you would change only their contract but be careful this client doesn't start talking to one of the other clients, you know?

You're right Momof4... The policy will just become the new policy, if she doesn't like it... there are lots of other daycares to choose from. Pick one. lol

Her kids started with me at the beginning of December and so far she has sent them with a bad cough (on puffers) and now this.

"As a new daycare my policies may not be perfect so as issues arise I will amend and correct my policies and procedures accordingly. I thank you for your understanding and co-operation."

The only part I would change, is the part that sort of "takes away" from you as a provider. Even the best of providers need to change policies and rules once in a while! Just remind them that, from time to time, revisions may be necessary.
Good luck with this!! :)

One note, you should not refer to them as "paid sick days" as that makes it an employee/employer relationship and then your clients technically have to pay CPP etc. You could instead word it as "4 paid closures" which may be used if you are sick or have an appointment. Personally, I wouldn't do the 75% pay for sick days, although I understand that you are trying to encourage them to keep sick kids home. If they are too sick to be in care, just call the parents and have them pick the child up immediately. If they disregard your policies, terminate them. Keep in mind that things like coughs can go on for months and do not mean the child can't be in daycare. However, fevers, vomiting, diahrea etc would constitute an immediate call to parents and 24 hours sympotom free before returning to daycare.

Good points kangaroomama and I agree. In my contract I word it like this: Fees are due no matter if the client has sick or missed days for any reason or there are stat days or other holidays listed that the daycare is closed.

Unfortunately, we have to allow children into care with viruses all the time and if the nose is running clear and the cough doesn't sound like it is into the child's lungs and they aren't tugging at their ears then you pretty much have to let the child come in. However, if there is green mucous that usually means bacteria and the child should see a doctor for a bacterial infection. I know this from raising 4 children of my own and that just comes from experience.

Vomiting and diarrhea are no question! Stay away until symptom free for 24 hours as you already stated or they are spreading it to 5 other families and the daycare provider. Don't be afraid to stress that to your clients so they learn to be more considerate. Most people will get it with reminders once in a while.

Well she showed up this morning and her son had a cough and a runny nose. She was wiping his nose at the door and told me that it "just started this morning". I didn't look to see what color his boogers were and I don't care if his cough isn't in his lungs. He went home. She was upset and I don't care. My business, my rules. It states in my policy that coughing + snot + stay home or get seen by a doctor who can assure me that they aren't contagious. They are sick every friggin week. I would just like to tell them to find another DCP.

The key to not having sick children in care is NOT to charge dcparents for YOUR sick time but to enforce your sick policies to the degree that they are afraid NOT to follow them.

For example, my illness policy says that after diarrhea or vomiting a child is excluded from care for 24 hours. It's in the contract and the parents SIGNED that contract. So, if I saw what you saw on FB then I would have terminated that family. AND, next week, when all the other dcfamilies asked why little Tommy is no longer attending I would tell them that Tommy got terminated for not following the illness policy.:)

Oh, YES....I WOULD and HAVE done that. And when OTHER parents realize you WILL terminate someone who does not follow the contract (especially the illness policy) they do NOT violate the policies.;)

Thanks Judy,

That is a very good point and I agree it will probably deter more parents from bringing sick kids in the future. I am definitely going to terminate this family... any ideas on how? Do I email her? Do I tell her at the door next time we see each other? I'm so embarrassed to have to do this but she helped me learn many valuable lessons, some I'm embarrassed to even admit here! lol

I would write a letter that basically says I take the safety and well being of the children in dacyare very seriously. Therefor due to continued disregard for the policies at _______daycare, in particular the illness policy, it is necessary to terminate care for ________. The last day availabe for care will be ________________.

Don't mention your own family in the letter because then she will think it is about you and not about the daycare. Using only the daycare keeps it professional.

When the parent comes the next time you explain that you are terminating care for ... And list your reasons and then hand her a written letter in a sealed envelope explaining that due to lack of compliance of your illness policy and a general air of disrespect towards you and your business you are terminating care on what ever date ....two weeks or what you have set out in your policy.
Take a photocopy of the letter for your records. If you want to term immediately then bring up the face book thing because I would be furious if they blantently got my whole family sick and all the other daycare kids

Although I certainly agree that you should terminate if the parents are disrespecting you and your policies (ie. bringing the child with a fever and diahrea knowingly), I would not turn a child away for a cough and runny nose. Some kids have coughs and runny noses all winter...the parents cannot stay home for the whole winter because of continuous colds. If there was no fever or other signs of a more serious illness, I would have been upset as a parent as well to be sent home. However, if she did drug the child and bring him with fever and all, that is totally unacceptable and is definitely grounds for termination.

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Originally Posted by kangaroomama

Although I certainly agree that you should terminate if the parents are disrespecting you and your policies (ie. bringing the child with a fever and diahrea knowingly), I would not turn a child away for a cough and runny nose. Some kids have coughs and runny noses all winter...the parents cannot stay home for the whole winter because of continuous colds. If there was no fever or other signs of a more serious illness, I would have been upset as a parent as well to be sent home. However, if she did drug the child and bring him with fever and all, that is totally unacceptable and is definitely grounds for termination.

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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.

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.

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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