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nannyde 09:30 AM 05-17-2010
Originally Posted by professionalmom:
I am just wondering what the norm is for how many times you need to call off in, say a 3 month, 6 month, or year time frame? I've had parents complain about it. But here's what has happened this year:
1 - Parent brought 6 month old (seemed fine at drop off) and within an hour he puked (not spit up) twice and had diarrhea. So the following week my husband, daughter, and I had the flu and we had to close for a day.
2 - Another parent did the same thing and I closed for a day so I could thoroughly disinfect the entire house and to minimize further exposure.
3 - Another parent brought a sick 2 yr old (severe sore throat, not eating), claimed the doctor said he was fine - but I got the same symptoms the following week and was told by my doctor that it was viral and bacterial.
4 - I called off 1 day because my brother-in-law (35 yrs old) had a stroke (history of heart prob) and almost died. Only took 1 day off though.
5 - Then hubby came home from work at 1:30 one day and spent the next hour puking. Called DC mom to explain that there may be another flu exposure. She chose to take him elsewhere.

So, yes, there have been 5 from 1/1 - 5/17, but most of it was during flu season and because parents were the ones causing flu outbreaks.
Plus, I've been told that working with kids, you will find you get sick more often. I have NEVER had the flu until I started my daycare (at age 33). Now I get it at least once every winter.

Do you think this was excessive? I have been trying to enforce my sick policy as strictly as I can. Is there anything that I could have done to minimize my call-offs? And I wash my hands so much they bleed sometimes and I am ALWAYS cleaning and disinfecting.
I have been doing day care for 16 years. I have only called off once the first year I did day care. Other than that, I work.

In your situation I wouldn't have even CONSIDERED closing to disinfect the house. I would have just disinfected what I needed to get thru the next day and done the rest of the work when the kids were in bed or gone. Even if I had to stay up all night long to disinfect, I wouldn't have closed.

Closing because your DH was sick was another one I wouldn't have done. He's a grown up and can keep himself separate from the kids.

The only time I would have closed would be when I'm too sick to work. If I can work... I do. Parents don't take closing very well at ALL. If you close with any regularity they will leave. Even if THEY are the cause of your illness they will leave. Most parents BY FAR will never ever say to themselves "I can't bring sick child because the provider or her family might get sick". They want to bring their child TODAY and that's what they are after. Worrying about what might happen to you, your family, or the other kids in the future isn't going to solve their want TODAY.
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