Please don't send your sick kid to daycare!!!

[Sassygirl]

I have learned many things in this business the past year and it is - If you let something go once they will keep trying it again and again. Speak up after the first time.

[kimg]

I'm tired of the teething excuse as well. I've been sick with one thing or another since the beginning of January. All because of "teething" kids, although I haven't grown a new tooth yet.

[5 Little Monkeys]

Lou, I agree with you. If it were me, I would want to look after my sick child myself.

HOWEVER, I have worked at places that made it difficult to just leave when needed so I do understand it from a parent's view as well. Both my fields, healthcare and childcare, were at places that had ratio's to follow. So leaving when your child was sick was not easy. You either had to wait until a replacement could come in or be pulled from a different area or you had to call your back up to pick up your child. The thing that always made me laugh was my dc centre coworkers would complain about a parent not coming quick enough or not being able to come at all when their child needed to be picked up but than if the school phoned and needed them to pickup their own child up they couldn't leave work either!! They just didn't understand the irony lol.

Having children in dc and/or school and working at a job that isn't easily flexible must be very tough on parents!!

[Lou]

And so drop off your already sick child??? Nope. I worked in childcare centres for years and if my daughter woke up ill or was sick in the night I would call in early to say I would not be there. I don't care. My child comes FIRST, they can figure it out. I would never ever even consider dropping my sick child off at daycare.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I meant when the child becomes sick during the day

[Lou]

I get that to a certain extent, but I also think there should be back up arranged to come and pick up the child if sick. I don't see any reason why it should take hours for a throwing up child to be picked up, you know? Under no circumstance do I see that as excusable.
The OP was talking about children being dropped off ill, so that's where my original rant came from

[Judy Trickett]

I get that to a certain extent, but I also think there should be back up arranged to come and pick up the child if sick. I don't see any reason why it should take hours for a throwing up child to be picked up, you know? Under no circumstance do I see that as excusable.
The OP was talking about children being dropped off ill, so that's where my original rant came from

I agree. This is your CHILD. You should be willing to move mountains to rush to come and get them and take them to the comforts of their home and momma. If a parent were suddenly puking at work I KNOW they would be exiting that building within 5 minutes and high-tailing it home. They should offer their child the same consideration.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I agree!! Back ups are a must for me!

Knowingly dropping off ill is just plain inconsiderate!!

[mamaof4]

that said. with jobs like my husband (a firefighter) its not easy to get a hold of them and even harder for them to leave. So I can see both sides, and I agree the importance of back ups

[bright sparks]

that said. with jobs like my husband (a firefighter) its not easy to get a hold of them and even harder for them to leave. So I can see both sides, and I agree the importance of back ups

I agree mamaof4....my husband can be at the side of a road with a coach in bits and 50 passengers. Can he just drop things and go in this situation, absolutely not! If he was throwing up at the side of the road could he leave, no chance. If I was a parent with a child in daycare though I would make it quite clear to the provider that if after 2 attempts to contact him they got no response and for some reason I was unavailable, then it is on to the emergency contacts list without question. It's sad and unfortunate that the parents who are in these kinds of positions are lumped together with the parents who are just inconsiderate and selfish. It doesn't mean they don't care, just in a tricky spot. Kind of like how everyone paints dcproviders with the same brush based on those who break the law and are neglectful wouldn't you say ?!? That is why during my interview process I have a frank conversation about there ability to pick up in an emergency and who their back up childcare providers are. If there is any hint that they won't be able to pick up within an hour, then I make it clear that I am not the best provider for them and if they continue to um and ah, then I let them know that if these rules get broken even once, then they will be terminated immediately. On more than a few occasions I have told families I can not accept them because I know the sickness policy will be broken. I do not waste my time with these families who need a more lax or flexible sickness policy depending on how you look at things.