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

[nschildcare]

I am tired of the sick kids coming, too. I've changed my policies to say that I exclude for symptoms. I have explained it to parents this way: I don't think that they are qualified to say with 100% certainty that their child's symptoms are due to teething (or whatever else they are blaming) and neither am I. Therefore, I will always exclude for symptoms, whatever the actual cause may be.

Maybe teething fevers are real: I don't know. But I do know that I don't want to catch 'teething'. I just got over getting my 40 yo molars.

And yes I've not ended up with clients due to my policy. It does not bother me. I tell them to look for someone who has lax sickness policies. I don't want parents that are willing to send their sick child to daycare. I really emphasize this point during interviews. I am WELL care. Parents need to have back up or be prepared to miss time from work.

And I, too, have the disclaimer that I make the final call whether or not a child is well enough for daycare. I've used it twice. Parents will "get it" when you enforce it.