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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>What Do You Do When Your Own Child Is Sick?
Familycare71 03:23 PM 09-09-2013
I'm just wondering what everyone does when their own child is ill enough to meet their exclusion criteria?
I have always called and informed the parents of my child's symptoms and allowed them to decide if they want to bring their child. If they choose for their child to stay home there is no charge for this days. The only time I close is if my child is ill enough that I need to care for them 100%
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Lil'DinoEggs 03:34 PM 09-09-2013
My regs hat for state I need to close. I had to do that for HF&M.
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Lil'DinoEggs 03:37 PM 09-09-2013
If I had a choice, I would use your policy.
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Play Care 04:38 PM 09-09-2013
My policy is that if the child has a minor illness and I am open, then the child stay upstairs in isolation. I do NOT call parents to let them know - as I've had parents in the past get upset with this. They felt I was putting off the decision on them, and if they decided to send their kids they would be judged. I also felt that my own kids deserved the same privacy afforded dck's. However this is only for minor illness. If they have a serious contagious illness such as strep, bad tummy bugs, etc. then I will close. I have this in my contract and make sure to address it specifically in interviews.
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Heidi 04:55 PM 09-09-2013
When my kids were little, and their illness just made them a little "off", I'd do what the PP said; call the parents and let them decide. They would still have to pay their weekly tuition, though.

If my kids were really miserable, I would just close for the day. It didn't happen too often, thankfully. I was even open through their chickenpox, because everyone either had the illness already, had the vaccine, or in a few cases, the parents wanted to get it over with.

Now that my kids are older (the youngest is 12), it's a non-issue. They just isolate themselves.
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MotherNature 05:07 AM 09-10-2013
I have an almost 3 yr old, & so he can't really be by himself, so I text parents as soon as I realize he's sick & tell them his symptoms & let them decide if they're coming or not. If I'm really sick & need to close, I credit the day to them.
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melilley 12:18 PM 09-10-2013
I have a 10 year old and a 1 year old. The 10 year old can stay in her room, but I haven't had to do that yet and ironically the only time my son seems to come down with anything, it's always on a weekend.
I do have a policy that I will call them and let them know if I am sick or if one of my kids are sick and they can choose if they want to come or not. But if I am sick and it's a communicable disease, I have to close per state regs. unless my sis could come over (she is qualified to watch them for me if needed) and watch the kids as long as I stayed in my room or went somewhere else. I have 5 paid sick/personal/educational closure days in my handbook so they pay if I haven't gone over.
Thankfully neither has happened yet!
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hope 05:56 PM 09-10-2013
I always inform my families right away when my own children are sick. If they are not too sick I leave it up to them to come or not. But I do home daycare so that I can work and care for my kids so if my children are sick n need me to the point where I feel I can not do both I try to get my sub to fill in for dcks or I cancel care for the day at no cost for families.
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Familycare71 06:46 PM 09-10-2013
Sounds like most do what I do... Just wondered- it is so nice to have a place to ask other providers what they do! .
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Rachel 10:58 AM 09-12-2013
We have 2 floors, so if my older kids are sick (8 & 9) they can just stay on the other level. If the littles are sick (5 & 1) I would either close or have my sub do the daycare while I take care of the kids, or take care of my kids while I do the daycare. Last year I had to close for 3 days when my 1 year old was throwing up with fever. It was expensive, but what could I do. Not fair to expose all the others.
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