When my children are sick?

[CoolFamily]

I am opening a day home Nov 1 in Alberta; I am curious what to put in my policy manual about when my children are sick. Do I count that as one of my sick days? Ideas please!

[torontokids]

If my kids are sick I stay open and either 1) my husband stays home to watch them or 2) they stay upstairs (my eldest is fine to do this) and watch movies and I keep an eye on them via video monitor. My daycare is separate from my home (in the basement) so this works well.

I don't get sick days and if I do close because I am sick it is unpaid.

[mickyc]

Same here as torontokids. I usually stay open and my daughter goes to grandma's or stays upstairs and rests. If she was too sick that it wouldn't work out that way I would close and not get paid.

[5 Little Monkeys]

I would also refer to your own sick policy. If it's something highly contagious, I would close. I don't think it's fair to stay open and risk the others getting sick and than asking them to stay home until they're better. If you get paid sick days than it's up to you to decide if you want to use your children's illnesses for this or if you want your husband to use his (if he gets any).

If your daycare is separate or if you have a backup provider than that would be ideal and definitely mention that in your contract.

I'm sure most parents who choose home daycare are aware that the providers sick children may be a risk to theirs as well though.

[Rachael]

It depends on your expectations of clients children who are sick. If your policy is such that a sick child is expected to stay home and be excluded from day care to limit the exposure of other children and yourself, then that will be hard to enforce if you risk client's children when yours are ill.

If you are able to keep your children and the day care children entirely separate, using separate facilities and being supervised by your partner, then I see no reason for you to close. If however your children are young, will be mixing with the day care children and/or supervised by you, then I think it's unrealistic to expect clients to keep sick children home.

There's no right or wrong answer - this is going to come down to your own rules and policies but you have to be seen to follow the same requirements yourself or you'll lose credibility.

Since it seems you are intended to have sick days for yourself in the contract, and potentially vacation too, why not just label them personal days? I have 10 personal days a year. That gives my client limit to how many days they will need to find an alternative/back-up carer. Then, if I am sick, if I have an appointment I can't schedule outside business hours, or if I am taking some leave, it comes out of that 10 day entitlement I don't really have to worry or justify the reasons for it.