Wwyd?

[Sparkles]

I have so many illnesses going around, I'm so frustrated.

I had to send out a letter about strep last week, a letter about croup yesterday, and now I found out that a dck has RSV.

3 of my dck have coughs, but no fevers. I'm debating if I should close the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, I don't get paid when I close. But no one can seem to keep their sick kids home.

Wwyd?

[Annalee]

I think we have all been where you are......re-write your policies.....you can do many things like amend your sickness policy, start charging straight out 52 weeks per year or offer a certain amount of days clients don't pay for, etc. Many ways to go about this....it is difficult in the beginning but as you take on new clients it becomes the new norm and much easier to manage. Personally, I charge 52 weeks per year no matter what which covers closings for vacation, personal, professional and holidays......yes this was soooooo hard in the beginning but I had a great mentor.....so thankful I met her....still friends with her personally and professionally. Good luck!

[Sparkles]

That's the thing, is I have very clear illness policies! I typically allow mild runny noses and coughs because I understand that parents can't take that many days off work. This year has been weird, the croup child had no fever and the RSV child was completely fine yesterday with no fever.

But it has become a cycle that is difficult to stop. Would you close or stay open?

[Annalee]

I would make the child stay home with ANY symptoms......I would not close....I would make them follow my policies!

[PB&J]

Are you worried abt catching something? I’d not, I would stay open. We would send out an email alerting parents what’s going on and what to watch for, and inform them that our sick policies are firmly in place. Then stay open, enforce your policy, and roll with it.

[Annalee]

Agreed!

[Sparkles]

I'm not worried about getting sick, I just want to be able to deep clean everything and not have sick kids coming.

I'm worried the several kids exposed to the RSV yesterday are going to get it and its going to be a never ending cycle. Especially with holidays next week.

No one has fevers and it has all come on suddenly.

[e.j.]

"That's the thing, is I have very clear illness policies! I typically allow mild runny noses and coughs because I understand that parents can't take that many days off work. This year has been weird, the croup child had no fever and the RSV child was completely fine yesterday with no fever.

But it has become a cycle that is difficult to stop. Would you close or stay open?"

Personally, I would stay open and save the deep clean for this weekend in order to avoid closing but I would remind parents of my illness policies and ask them to keep their sick kids home. I'd warn them that going forward, I won't accept kids into my care if they're showing any symptoms of illness, including mild cold symptoms and that I expect a quick pick up if their kids develop symptoms during the day care day.

I've told my dc parents that pre-pandemic, I didn't mind taking kids into care when they had mild cold symptoms but that's changed for the time being. Here, kids with mild cold symptoms need to be tested for Covid before they can return to care. I do feel for parents who have had to take time off from their jobs to get the kids tested or to care for their sick kids but that's their responsibility as parents. I've advised them to have a Plan B in place just in case their kids do get sick; bringing their kids here when they're sick isn't an option.

[Annalee]

I'm not worried about getting sick, I just want to be able to deep clean everything and not have sick kids coming.

I'm worried the several kids exposed to the RSV yesterday are going to get it and its going to be a never ending cycle. Especially with holidays next week.

No one has fevers and it has all come on suddenly.

If you hurt their pocket by charging when you close and then you close because THEY make bad choices by not following your illness policies, then I'm just sure clients would take the hint and then follow the rules. there has to be a consequence of 'not following the rules' even for adults.

[GirlMomma]

The kids don’t need to have fevers in order to have RSV, I learned that in August. Send the children home with any cough or runny nose.

Personally, if the runny nose is green, they go home. If the cough is persistent, they go home. Diarrhea, they go home. I don’t care if Susie reacts this way to fruit juice, I don’t care if Johnny has allergies or Bobby is teething.

They can return once the symptoms are gone without medication for 24 hours. 🙃

[Cat Herder]

Enforce your illness policy. Send them home, turn them away at the door.

You cannot rely on parents keeping them home when sick. You have to manage that, yourself.

[Annalee]

Very well said and so true!

[Blackcat31]

I have a great illness policy too and don't normally exclude for colds etc since I live in a state where having a cold can last all winter...
Anyways, what I do to combat the continuous cycle of illness is have a time limit. I have no problem having a kid in care with a runny nose but ONLY if the child can wipe his/her own nose 75% of the time and the child's condition isn't disrupting the day.

Currently I have two kids with bad upper respiratory conditions. Both have runny noses, a slight cough and are a bit "quieter" than normal.
Neither has a fever and neither one is severe however only one child is excluded.

One of them is 4 and can wipe their own nose, cover their mouth when they cough and none of their symptoms are disrupting rest time or any of our daily activities. The other child is 2 and has no concept of covering their mouth, allows their snot to drip down their chin and just uses their sleeve or someone else to wipe it if at all. They cough openly towards others and just look at me like I have 3 heads when I say "cover your mouth".

I allows the 2 year old to be here ONE day before excluding. The 4 year old has been here all week. If their symptoms don't improve by the end of the week, I require a visit to the doctor to make sure the cold has not morphed into something more serious and to make sure it's still just a cold. The child can attend again this next week and will have the same requirements at the end of next week if they aren't better on their own.

The 2 year old is excluded until symptoms are gone/more manageable.

IF a parent were to ask why one is excluded and the other isn't I would explain that the amount of my time and attention a child requires when under the weather and the amount of self care a child can provide themselves dictates attendance or exclusion.

This seems to work the best for me and my program as I do understand parents can't always take time off for a cold. It works because it allows some flexibility and no parent has the same experience every cold/flu season because each year their child is older and more independent.

I haven't had any push back in regards to doing it this way so it works for me.

Of course, fevers, vomiting, diarrhea and all that are always excludable.
The above is simply how I manage a common cold and stopping the continuous cycle of sharing it.