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cara041083 07:05 AM 03-12-2014
We lost power about 9 pm last night. Well I woke up at 3 am and it was still out and it was 56 in my house. So I got up at 6 and it had dropped to 48 and I had kids that would be here at 630. So I called them and told them I would be closed for the day. The mom was upset and still wanted to bring the kids to me. Well my power came back on around 8 and I called her to tell her it was back on and she could bring the kids if need be. She is the only one I called because the other kids come at 9 and 930. How do you guys handle when the power goes out? I didn't know what to do and now I feel bad.
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Leigh 07:09 AM 03-12-2014
I am not allowed to have kids in a 48 degree house, nor a house without power. I would have informed Mom that the decision is out of my hands, and that I am required to have a minimum temperature of 65 in my home and have power available.
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dalman 07:10 AM 03-12-2014
I think you did the right thing. You had no idea when the power would come back on. Had it not come back on, the temperature in the house would have continued to drop, putting the kids at risk. She is lucky it came back on and she can go in to work. Have a good day.
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Cat Herder 07:11 AM 03-12-2014
Many providers have regs that say they must do exactly as you did. No worries.

If you do not have a backup power or heating source, it was the best choice.
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cara041083 07:19 AM 03-12-2014
Thanks guys. I was up all night trying to think of how I would handle no power and it being cold in my house and meals with out a kitchen. I have a fireplace that I could of built a fire in, but it hasn't been used in many many years, and didn't feel safe to try to use it with a house full of daycare kids. Thanks for reassuring me that I did the right thing.
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Blackcat31 07:25 AM 03-12-2014
Originally Posted by cara041083:
We lost power about 9 pm last night. Well I woke up at 3 am and it was still out and it was 56 in my house. So I got up at 6 and it had dropped to 48 and I had kids that would be here at 630. So I called them and told them I would be closed for the day. The mom was upset and still wanted to bring the kids to me. Well my power came back on around 8 and I called her to tell her it was back on and she could bring the kids if need be. She is the only one I called because the other kids come at 9 and 930. How do you guys handle when the power goes out? I didn't know what to do and now I feel bad.
Why would YOU feel bad that the power is out? You have NO link to whether or not your power goes out.

The mom you called can feel upset about it if she wants but her feelings need to directed at the power company or the weather and not you. YOU had nothing to do with the outage.

I have written in my handbook that emergencies such as loss of power, heat and or water do NOT allow me to operate and that I will notify parents of these outages as soon as possible but since they are REQUIRED to have a back up...I don't worry about what they can or can't do to secure care.

The power went out...has NOTHING to do with you. DCM can deal with it. If she wants to fix it, tell her to go down to the power company and tell them.

Originally Posted by cara041083:
Thanks guys. I was up all night trying to think of how I would handle no power and it being cold in my house and meals with out a kitchen. I have a fireplace that I could of built a fire in, but it hasn't been used in many many years, and didn't feel safe to try to use it with a house full of daycare kids. Thanks for reassuring me that I did the right thing.
Even if you built a fire, you still have no power to heat your water etc... I would think power, heat and electricity are REQUIREMENTS for ANY place of business.

Imagine if this was her dentist and the power went out. Would she still want to go to her appointment??

Parents NEVER cease to amaze me.
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melilley 07:29 AM 03-12-2014
you did the right thing! Why the mom would want her child at your house with no heat is beyond me!

I lost power for the whole week of Christmas. I was only open for 3 days, but had to close because we don't have backup power. One dcm was upset and didn't want to pay (she was off anyways because her school was off ). Really? Then she went on and on about how her dh couldn't work (big lie) so they didn't have money, yet they gave money to a friend! I told her she had to pay anyways, it's in the contract. Oh well!
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mema 08:16 AM 03-12-2014
You did the right thing. We lost power last week one night. An hour before the 1st was suppose to arrive, we still didn't have power and our house was down to 50*. I sent everyone a text that I would be closed unless the power came back on and the house heated back up before lunch, then I would let them know. Ours did come back on and I opened just before lunch time. One family had already made other arrangements and the others came. One dcm was so upset about what she was going to do. I reminded her, again, that she needed to have a back up plan. She has some days off coming up and she didn't want to have to take more. I actually hesitated about telling everyone it was back on because it was nice to have quiet. But ultimately didn't want to have to take a day without pay.
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cara041083 08:36 AM 03-12-2014
Originally Posted by mema:
You did the right thing. We lost power last week one night. An hour before the 1st was suppose to arrive, we still didn't have power and our house was down to 50*. I sent everyone a text that I would be closed unless the power came back on and the house heated back up before lunch, then I would let them know. Ours did come back on and I opened just before lunch time. One family had already made other arrangements and the others came. One dcm was so upset about what she was going to do. I reminded her, again, that she needed to have a back up plan. She has some days off coming up and she didn't want to have to take more. I actually hesitated about telling everyone it was back on because it was nice to have quiet. But ultimately didn't want to have to take a day without pay.
Im not gona lie, I was kind of bummed it came back on this morning. I was thinking about all the things I was going to get done on this sudden "day off". I almost didn't tell everyone it was back on.
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Second Home 08:47 AM 03-12-2014
For me no power also means no water as we have a well .
Here in MD you are required to keep the temp at no less than 65 , any colder and you are not supposed to open . We also are not allowed to use any type of fireplace whether gas or wood .

You did the right thing , that would be too cold for the kids .
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craftymissbeth 09:25 AM 03-12-2014
Originally Posted by cara041083:
Thanks guys. I was up all night trying to think of how I would handle no power and it being cold in my house and meals with out a kitchen. I have a fireplace that I could of built a fire in, but it hasn't been used in many many years, and didn't feel safe to try to use it with a house full of daycare kids. Thanks for reassuring me that I did the right thing.
When I first opened I had in my handbook that if the power, water, gas was out for more than a certain amount of time I'd close... my licensor made me change it because apparently if it's out at all we have to close. Not to mention that the daycare has to be within a certain temperature range... 65-85 I think?
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Tags:closures, emergency preparedness plan, power outage
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