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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Snow Day Policy
hsdcmama 12:11 PM 10-09-2014
What is your policy for snow days? I do not have anything about snow days in my contract, but as the weather gets colder I just can't imagine shoveling out my driveway at 5 am every time it snows. Do you close completely? Follow the school schedule? Close for a half day to shovel the driveway?
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nannyde 12:14 PM 10-09-2014
Get up as many times as necessary in the middle of the night and shovel. If it's coming down hard I would shovel every two hours so I could manage it before the kids arrived


Once my son was old enough he got up and did it for me.
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LysesKids 12:19 PM 10-09-2014
Actually I do get up and shovel early unless it's calling for an all day event that will close state offices... my current school district is year round, but I don't follow it because I care for babies only AND most of my parents come from another county. Of course growing up in MD I know how that can go too lol. I explain to parents that once the first child arrives that I will no longer be going out to shovel and that the use of my driveway... or even the street is at their own risk (I live where speed limit is 10 mph in the neighborhood)
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Kabob 12:25 PM 10-09-2014
Getting up early stinks but we shovel to try to make sure no one slips on their way in and it snows way too often here for us to close every time it snows.

That said, I started closing for snow days after I realized most parents don't have common sense when driving on winter roads...they've gotten stuck on the road with their kids in the car!

So I close when the schools do or use common sense and close if the conditions are too dangerous for travel as the schools close more often because they don't want kids standing outside or riding the bus in the poor weather.

Closures for weather are still paid for as I can't control weather. But, I have only closed a couple of times this past year.
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Unregistered 12:27 PM 10-09-2014
If our local schools close I close too! I put it on our local news stations so parents know we will be closed.

I have to keep all exits clear of snow in case of a fire and we would have to get out it is a state rule. If I can't keep up with the snow I would close early never had to do it but will if need be no way will I be stuck here with 12 kids.

I tell my parents if schools close I close if school kids should be out in in than neither should little kids and babies and I would feel bad if they tried to come to daycare during bad weather and got in an accident. So I close just to avoid that whole mess!

None of my parents mind they are grateful that I am thinking of their children's safety.
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hsdcmama 12:33 PM 10-09-2014
Another thing I just thought about, is that my state regs say I can't be outside if the dcks are inside. So legally I would not be allowed to go outside & shovel snow during the day. This is a little more complicated that I thought it would be.
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Angelsj 12:35 PM 10-09-2014
Hire a service.
I have a 14 yo, but he gets lazy on me sometimes. If it is particularly yucky or heavy snow, we call the service and they come with their machines and clear it out.
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Blackcat31 12:37 PM 10-09-2014
I live in an area that has heavy snowfall and frequently too.

Part of owning a business means dealing with the weather.

My DH owns a plow (if he didn't I would hire someone) and he gets up early and plows before the first parents arrive. For me, (and him) this means getting up really early sometimes as I don't have my daycare at my house and my own driveway is a mile long so it does require some pre-planning ad paying attention to the weather forecast.

I think you have to do what you have to do. If that means getting up at 5 am to shovel then getting up at 5 am to shovel is what you have to do.

Of course, if there is extreme weather happening, you do what you can and pray that others use caution as well but when you live in an area that has snow, you deal.

Sucks sometimes but honestly there are days I would rather shovel for 5 hours straight verses being indoors with a bunch of rambunctious kiddos.

I love shoveling. And mowing the lawn.
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midaycare 12:43 PM 10-09-2014
I'm in BC's situation - I live in a snow belt area and we are guaranteed at least 100 inches of snow per season. Much more last year! I have a long driveway too - not a mile but .1 tenth of a mile. I hire a service. I shovel the walkways.

And I generally don't talk about snow until December. It's forbidden.
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DaveA 12:52 PM 10-09-2014
The township's really good about plowing our road since we're on a bus route. I'm up early to shovel anyway since my wife's a nurse and might have to go in early or deal with hospital severe weather procedures. Seriously thinking about getting a snowblower after last year.

I don't close for snow days but encourage parents to be smart about getting their kids on the roads in bad weather. I've told them losing one DCP to a car accident is enough for my career. If they want to use daycare closing as an excuse not to come in I'm fine with that.
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Thriftylady 01:19 PM 10-09-2014
I can't imagine closing for a snow day, since all the parents around here are still expected to show up at work. I will be shoveling!
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AmyKidsCo 01:30 PM 10-09-2014
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
I can't imagine closing for a snow day, since all the parents around here are still expected to show up at work. I will be shoveling!
Me too! But I just shovel a path 2 shovel-widths up the driveway, then leave the rest for DH or our 15 yr old.
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Controlled Chaos 01:51 PM 10-09-2014
Originally Posted by Thriftylady:
I can't imagine closing for a snow day, since all the parents around here are still expected to show up at work. I will be shoveling!


yep. Its just part of the job. No snow days for me. I would be closed half the winter lol
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KidGrind 02:06 PM 10-09-2014
If schools and/or government are closed, I am closed.
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snbauser 02:12 PM 10-09-2014
I follow the schools, but I also cater to school teachers so they would be off as well.
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AuntTami 07:05 PM 10-09-2014
BF and I have already hired someone to do the sidewalks and walk way this winter for us. BF will still have to plow out the driveway with the four wheeler when he wakes up, but there will be a path plowed out from the street to the sidewalk so if he doesn't get up right away, its no big deal. I'll still have to shovel off the deck/steps though. UGH I hate snow.

I actually just ordered 100pounds of salt for the sidewalks/deck and I'm HOPING that will last through the winter. There was a salt shortage here last winter, so if you COULD find it(which was hard to do) it was astronomically expensive, so I'm stocking up this year. It wasn't a big deal to not salt last year(except for the poor mail man) as I didn't have daycare yet, but this year, I'll definitely have to be diligent.

Being that I live on a large hill, I forsee there being some issues this winter, and I also forsee some closures. City is usually pretty good about keeping our road plowed, as we live right in town, and our road is a more popular road, but it's hard to keep the ice from forming on the hill, and especially at the bottom of it, where our road meets the main highway. I'm scared to death of sliding through that intersection. I avoid driving in the winter whenever possible. I almost turn into a winter-hermit because of that stupid hill and stupid intersection!
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Mister Sir Husband 10:08 PM 10-09-2014
Buying a snow blower this year for my excessively long driveway, and will get up early to take care of it, but if it snows all day, I can't clear it and watch kids at the same time so pickups may involve the parents parking at the bottom and walking up.
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Meyou 02:00 AM 10-10-2014
DH shovels before he goes to work and my dd's keep it clear throughout the day. If we lose control of the shoveling I just send the parents a text asking them to be careful when they arrive.
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Play Care 02:48 AM 10-10-2014
I have a plow service do my driveway, and I'll shovel a little bit by the door. I have parents sign off that use of my driveway and walkway during snowstorms is at their own risk.
I DO close if the weather is so bad that a state of emergency is declared and they ask nonessential personnel to stay off the roads (rare here) But not for the typical "snow days" the schools take.
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hsdcmama 03:51 AM 10-10-2014
Thanks everyone! I like the idea of having parents sign off that they are using my driveway/sidewalk/steps at their own risk when it's snowing, as my main concern is parents & kids slipping and suing me or something. I don't mind shoveling, and my husband usually uses his 4-wheeler to plow out the driveway anyway, but my husband works all day & my own kids are not old enough to help with the shoveling, so there will probably be times when it snows all day that parents are just going to have to trudge through it to come get their kids. This winter should be interesting!
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