Pandemic and Contracts

[sahm1225]

It feels like I always update my contract AFTER something happens, but this time I want to be prepared.

Does anyone have anything in their contract about payments and a pandemic or situation where daycares are forced to close?

I have a clause that if daycare closes due to weather conditions or major illness of myself or immediate family, payment is still due.
Would love to see what everyone else had on their contracts?

[LittleExplorers]

Interesting. What kind of major illness? Wouldn't families just give notice if you had to close for an extended period of time?

I personally can't see charging parents if we were forced to shut down. They wouldn't be working either and it would likely last longer than a weather event etc.

I do charge for snow days and a set number of sick days.

[AmyKidsCo]

This is what I sent out in 2009 for H1N1. I'll probably send out something similar for Coronavirus if any cases are reported in WI.

Dear Parents,

By now you’re probably aware of the H1N1 (swine) flu situation in our country. Amy & Kids Co. is closely monitoring the situation to help protect the health of our children. As of last evening, Wisconsin has 5 probable cases of swine flu, including one as close as Sheboygan. The number of probable and confirmed cases is likely to rise due to enhanced efforts of surveillance by state and local health officials.

The symptoms of H1N1 flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some of the confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in the US have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

Spread of the H1N1 flu illness is thought to happen in the same way seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Sometimes people become infected by touching something with flu virus on it (such as a door knob), and then touching their mouth or nose. Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick.

Right now there is no vaccine for H1N1 flu but there are some everyday actions that you can take to keep yourself and your family healthy. These steps include:

Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Cough or sneeze into the elbow area of your shirtsleeve if a cough or sneeze catches you off guard.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.

Use an alcohol based hand cleaners to reduce the amount of germs on your hands if soap and water aren’t handy.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Try to avoid close contact (6 feet or less) with sick people.

If you get sick, stay home. If your children are sick, keep them home from child care and other activities.

If you feel you or a family member may be ill with H1N1 flu, contact your physician’s office before going in. They will want to gather more information about your illness and will then advise you of the appropriate follow-up.

For detailed information and updates about swine flu in Wisconsin visit: pandemic.wisconsin.gov. You can also contact the Appleton Health Department at 832-6429.

[Ariana]

Whenever there is a “shut down” either because of a family emergency or weather I do not charge. If my City declares a state of emergency and I have to close for two weeks I will gladly do it. I don’t want to have sick kids come to my home.

I think when the outbreak hits here I will also send out a little blurb about staying home when sick and proper hand washing. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.

[Valerie928]

I don't charge. I just pray everyone gets through whatever it is, whether it be a nasty stomach bug, RSV, flu. Believe or not, every year influenza is a pandemic. I don't have anything in my contract about such things. If I need to close I will, period.

[Valerie928]

Originally Posted by Ariana

Whenever there is a “shut down” either because of a family emergency or weather I do not charge. If my City declares a state of emergency and I have to close for two weeks I will gladly do it. I don’t want to have sick kids come to my home.

I think when the outbreak hits here I will also send out a little blurb about staying home when sick and proper hand washing. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.

This is exactly how I handle things. There is ALWAYS going to be something going around. Occasionally, there will be times when closing is in everyone's best interest.

[Meeko]

If we are forced to close, I will still expect payment if my clients want a daycare spot held open. I am one of their bills, just like their utility bills and their credit cards. Those will still expect payment. So will I. Anyone who doesn't want to pay will have to understand I will be calling my waiting list to tell them a place is available as soon as we re-open. I can't afford to be "nice" and not charge. Bottom line....my family comes first.

[Valerie928]

Originally Posted by Meeko

If we are forced to close, I will still expect payment if my clients want a daycare spot held open. I am one of their bills, just like their utility bills and their credit cards. Those will still expect payment. So will I. Anyone who doesn't want to pay will have to understand I will be calling my waiting list to tell them a place is available as soon as we re-open. I can't afford to be "nice" and not charge. Bottom line....my family comes first.

I didn't think about it this way. I might have to change how I do things now.

[sahm1225]

Originally Posted by Meeko

If we are forced to close, I will still expect payment if my clients want a daycare spot held open. I am one of their bills, just like their utility bills and their credit cards. Those will still expect payment. So will I. Anyone who doesn't want to pay will have to understand I will be calling my waiting list to tell them a place is available as soon as we re-open. I can't afford to be "nice" and not charge. Bottom line....my family comes first.

That’s my thought too. I can’t afford to take it unpaid since my bills will still need To be paid.
I was thinking 100% first week, 75% second week, 50% third week, and 25% if it goes past 4 weeks. I don’t ever expect it to go that long though. But I figured it would be more ‘fair’ that way?

[Valerie928]

Originally Posted by sahm1225

That’s my thought too. I can’t afford to take it unpaid since my bills will still need To be paid.
I was thinking 100% first week, 75% second week, 50% third week, and 25% if it goes past 4 weeks. I don’t ever expect it to go that long though. But I figured it would be more ‘fair’ that way?

This sounds reasonable as well.

[dolores]

My contract that they sign states regular payment is due for absences which includes sick, vacation, late drop offs, early pickups and weather emergencies to hold spot. My bills do not change due to those events and adjusting rates will not be sustainable for my business.
And, it being in the contract does not mean I have to implement it. I can always make an exception (which is verrrrrry rare) based on extenuating circumstances. But if I do, I remind them of policy and tell them I would make allowance for this one time only.

[MomBoss]

Originally Posted by Meeko

If we are forced to close, I will still expect payment if my clients want a daycare spot held open. I am one of their bills, just like their utility bills and their credit cards. Those will still expect payment. So will I. Anyone who doesn't want to pay will have to understand I will be calling my waiting list to tell them a place is available as soon as we re-open. I can't afford to be "nice" and not charge. Bottom line....my family comes first.

Well said.
I had a parent ask me if ill close if this virus spreads throughtout my state or gets bad. I told her my sickness policy still stands. If your child is sick, dont bring them. But ill be open.

[Cat Herder]

FEMA recommends we prepare by having our own Business Interruption Insurance. https://www.fema.gov/small-businesses

It was not something I had considered before, but it appears the premiums are also tax-deductible.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b...-insurance.asp

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Business interruption insurance is insurance coverage that replaces income lost in the event that business is halted for some reason, such as a fire or a natural disaster.
• This type of insurance also covers operating expenses, a move to a temporary location if necessary, payroll, taxes, and loan payments.
• Business interruption insurance also applies if government actions cause operations to cease temporarily, which results in a loss for a firm.

[AmyKidsCo]

I just realized I totally misread the question and didn't answer it at all. (facepalm)

Anyway, if I close because I'm sick or can't provide services I give parents a credit for the day. Any other reason they still pay. So if I closed because of a pandemic I'd give a credit for the days I was closed.

[sahm1225]

Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo

This is what I sent out in 2009 for H1N1. I'll probably send out something similar for Coronavirus if any cases are reported in WI.

Dear Parents,

By now you’re probably aware of the H1N1 (swine) flu situation in our country. Amy & Kids Co. is closely monitoring the situation to help protect the health of our children. As of last evening, Wisconsin has 5 probable cases of swine flu, including one as close as Sheboygan. The number of probable and confirmed cases is likely to rise due to enhanced efforts of surveillance by state and local health officials.

The symptoms of H1N1 flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some of the confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in the US have reported diarrhea and vomiting.

Spread of the H1N1 flu illness is thought to happen in the same way seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Sometimes people become infected by touching something with flu virus on it (such as a door knob), and then touching their mouth or nose. Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick.

Right now there is no vaccine for H1N1 flu but there are some everyday actions that you can take to keep yourself and your family healthy. These steps include:

Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Cough or sneeze into the elbow area of your shirtsleeve if a cough or sneeze catches you off guard.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.

Use an alcohol based hand cleaners to reduce the amount of germs on your hands if soap and water aren’t handy.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Try to avoid close contact (6 feet or less) with sick people.

If you get sick, stay home. If your children are sick, keep them home from child care and other activities.

If you feel you or a family member may be ill with H1N1 flu, contact your physician’s office before going in. They will want to gather more information about your illness and will then advise you of the appropriate follow-up.

For detailed information and updates about swine flu in Wisconsin visit: pandemic.wisconsin.gov. You can also contact the Appleton Health Department at 832-6429.

Amy - is it okay if I used a modified version of your letter above? Thank you!

[sahm1225]

Originally Posted by Cat Herder

FEMA recommends we prepare by having our own Business Interruption Insurance. https://www.fema.gov/small-businesses

It was not something I had considered before, but it appears the premiums are also tax-deductible.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b...-insurance.asp

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Business interruption insurance is insurance coverage that replaces income lost in the event that business is halted for some reason, such as a fire or a natural disaster.
• This type of insurance also covers operating expenses, a move to a temporary location if necessary, payroll, taxes, and loan payments.
• Business interruption insurance also applies if government actions cause operations to cease temporarily, which results in a loss for a firm.

Has anyone found an insurance company that offers this? I called Assure and they said their business interruption would only be if the location we had the business in was not able to be used (i.e. a fire occurs). I also called Allstate to see if I could add it through them and they said the same thing and hinted that most companies would not cover if there was a pandemic.