I just need to vent. It's been a horrible winter and my daycare has seen more illness this winter than the past 3 combined. I actually had to reinstate a policy I had gotten rid of that required siblings of sick children to also stay home. There was a definite trend of the well sibling coming to daycare, becoming sick within a few days of their sibling (usually at daycare), and every other child picking up the illness within hours of each other. I have two sibling sets (its been a long time since I've had siblings since I don't accept under nine months or schoolagers) and it was so hard to tell parents that we'd be going back to the old policy. They have to pay for the spot and I understand how unfair it seems when they have to keep a well child home and still pay. However, it had become incredibly obvious because of how the spreads of illnesses were occurring that the majority were being spread by asymptomatic siblings of sick children.

For years using the 24/48 policy I learned about on this board worked so well and not only got rid of dose and drops but also made parents a lot more likely to keep children home when they weren't exhibiting symptoms I exclude for but were definitely showing signs that they were becoming sick with more than a common cold. It seemed parents had a "better safe than sorry" motto. Then it just changed. I'm not sure why. I know part of the change started with having sibling sets and I don't know how to fix it.

Also, I'm so tired of parents not knowing their child enough to recognize when they're becoming sick. Why do they need me to be the one to say at drop off "X has his sick eyes" or "J is chewing on his lips like he does when he's getting sick" etc. Are they ignoring the fact that their child, who usually wants to eat constantly but suddenly won't touch breakfast is showing signs of being ill? Are they oblivious when their child who usually fights sleep with every ounce of their being won't get out of bed in the morning?

Another thing, most of the ones that do keep them home always give me generic symptoms. "A little cough", "a low-grade fever", "didn't sleep well"...please, you've brought them to daycare when they vomited the night before (I found out later) so why would you keep them home for a slight cold? Your child has influenza. Why can't you just admit that your child is sick with symptoms that require exclusion?

Oh, and your 3 year old is now very capable and incredibly excited to tell me about how she got medicine/vomited etc. before daycare and I believe her. When I confront you and you say "that was this weekend" or some other nonsense I don't believe you.

I'm just so darn exhausted and sick of sickness and winter.

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