Parent,

Yes, the simple equation is... sick child=stays home. There's your equation. The amount of time a parent takes off work is not the provider's problem. Parents need to have back up child care if they are not able to take off work themselves whenever their child is ill.

In my area, the law states that a child must be home while ill PLUS be home while HEALTHY for 24 hours before they can return to daycare. It's for the health and safety of EVERYONE in the child care environment. The fact that some parents only think of themselves and not the health of the other children in the daycare or the health of the daycare provider is horribly selfish and irresponsible. Yes, I understand that the parent needs to work, but not at the risk of other children's health.

Picture this...
You are one daycare provider with 6-10 kids (different states allow different amounts of children), you and the children are sitting on the floor in circle time. Johnny, who you just knew didn't feel well and were sure his mother doped him up with medicine that morning, with no warning throws up spewing puke on another child and yourself. Now, you have puke on 3 people that you have to clean up, puke all over the floor, Johnny and the other child he threw up on are crying, you have throw up all over your lap, all over the floor, and the other 4-8 children start retching as if they are going to throw up now. You have to stop the activity you were doing, undress the two children (one at a time), wash them off with diaper wipes, put their messy clothes in bags, dress them in their spare clothes (often, at this moment, Johnny will throw up a second time), and you are still wearing puked on clothes! You certainly can't take a shower, so the best you can do is quickly change clothes and wipe your self off with a rag, paper towels, or diaper wipes as quickly as possible as to not leave your children unattended too long. You also have to clean the throw up out of the carpet where you were sitting for circle time. While you are washing and redressing the 2 children, getting yourself cleaned up and redressed, and cleaning puke out of the carpet, you also have to keep the children calm and occupied. You have to call Johnny's parents to tell them to come get him, and you have to call the other child's parents and explain that Johnny threw up on their child! Do you want your child to be thrown up on at daycare by another child who's mother KNEW he was sick that morning but sent him to daycare anyway? I don't think you do!

So, yes, it is REQUIRED that you keep your sick child home.

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