Quote Originally Posted by mamaof4 View Post
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.