Originally Posted by mojoandrojosmama:
We placed our 3 year old and 4 month old daughter in an in-home daycare. There was no contract, just the state required forms. I can't find any of our paperwork that she gave us for informational purposes, but I do recall it saying that she requested a 2 week notice of withdraw when possible. In our case, this was not possible because we do NOT feel that our children were safe. We needed to get them out of there as soon as possible. Here are just a few of the reasons:
1. For the past couple of weeks, our three year old has said that her teacher yelled at her and she screamed and cried begging not to go.
2. The teacher admitted that she allowed her 7th grade son (not sure of age) feed my then 4.5 month old daughter.
3. Our three year old said she was told there is a “Potty Monster” who will get her if she has an accident.
4. I dropped in early one day and found my 3 year old, my 4.5 month old, another infant (approx 10 months), 2 toddlers, a 5 year old girl and 2 7th grade boys all in a room together. There was no adult in the actual room with them; the teacher was in the bathroom cleaning.
5. I dropped in early another day to see my 4.5 month old daughter sitting in her car seat, unrestrained. This appeared to be used as opposed to holding her or putting her in a safe device such as a bouncer seat where she could easily be strapped in. .
6. After 2 days in care, my then 4 month old came home with a bruise on her forehead. We were told another infant threw a truck at her face. To our knowledge, there was no incident report filed and we are unaware of whether or not the other parent was informed.
If I was happy with the care they were receiving, I would have no problem leaving them there for 2 weeks before withdrawing them. Do I have a right to not pay the "two week notice" period?
I do not think that you have a "right" to not pay the two week notice period because a lot of what you listed as unsafe aren't considered unsafe to everyone.
For example;
#1 The provider may have raised her voice (yelled according to your 3 yr old) and now your DD doesn't want to go back..... that is understandable but not considered unsafe or imminent danger.
#2 Unless there are strict rules that dictate an older child not being allowed to feed a younger child, this is also not something I consider unsafe. I have often times allowed an older child to assist with holding a bottle for the younger ones in the past.
#3 Being told there is a potty monster is simply something you need to discuss with your provider.... you don't know who and in what context this subject came up. But again, NOT unsafe.
#4 Not everyone is required to be in the same room with the daycare kids at ALL times. Many states simply require the provider to be within ear shot of the kids. Again, if this is something you aren't comfortable with, talk to your provider. You may consider it unsafe but she may not.
#5 Same thing about the infant seat. Was the child sitting in the seat on the floor or up high? Again, the provider may use the seat as somewhere to sit the baby so the baby is sitting up verses having to lie down. Not the safest move in my book but not unsafe enough to warrant removal of your child without a discussion with the provider about state rules and regulations as well as personal preferences for your child.
#6 Again, bruises happen. Especially in mixed age group care. It could very well have been that someone threw a toy and hit your child. Not all states require providers to fill out written reports for instances such as this one. Not all providers are required to notify the parents when their child throws something.
Honestly, if you are concerned about the safety of your children, I would remove them from her care but I would still pay for the final two weeks of care whether you actually bring them or not.
I would talk with my provider about these things though and if there are any state rules/regulations being broken, I would also call the licensor and let them know of your concerns.