How would you handle this?

[bright sparks]

I wouldn't ask a parent to pick up because a child is being disruptive at naptime. I would separate them from the start and if they wake screaming or crying, I would check that there was nothing wrong and then leave them to cry it out. I understand it is disruptive, but it is part of our job in my opinion to deal with the ups and downs in the children's development and some of those will simply be caused by a phase of defiance. How does it help the child get over this if they are picked up? You are almost certainly going to make the mother find another provider as she would lose her job if she was called out on a regular basis for this. I am not downplaying the importance of naptime for the other children and for you, not at all, but this should simply be a case of a couple of weeks of being separate and out of the way of the other group and hopefully you too and if they cry for the entire time, then so be it. I believe as a result this behaviour will stop.

I'm glad to read in your post that you aren't questioning your methods or ability to manage the behaviour when the child is up. That was so good to read because even the most confident of daycare provider can second guess themselves sometimes.

As for the masking illness, this is something I have in my contract also as grounds for immediate termination forfeiting their deposit too. It is extremely hard to prove even though as you described it is so obvious and clear when it has been done. I have termed once for this but the parents had given me loads of additional issues to so there were no repercussion but you only need that one family to take action against you afterward and you are screwed because although it seems obvious what happened, you have absolutely zero proof that it did occur.