Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>So UNSURE When/IF I Should Close...
Zeke 09:36 PM 03-26-2020
I am a home provider- was registered, then approved & later Licensed over years- about 3 years ago, I went to just being an exempt home.

I've had 4 FT kiddos for awhile now & 1 kiddo 2 days per week.

Kiddo #1. Mom has been unemployed for several months now, but brought kiddo to hold her spot while looking for a job...

Kiddo #2. Mom/dad BOTH work at a hospital. One in the office & the other in ordering

Kiddo #3. Moms a nurse at our clinic- she just flew to Mexico with a family member, to help her through a medical procedure over there. She returns Monday... at which time both mom & dad must quarantine for 2 weeks.

Kiddo #4. Mom works in a grocery store office-

Kiddo #5 is only 2 days per week... mom is a nurse practitioner.

So ALL work in "essential" jobs...

#1- is off indefinitely as she isn't working anyhow.

#2- She is here Mon-Fri 8-5 & they want to continue BUT dad will still be paid if he stays home

#3- Will be out for quarantine as of 3/30

#4- last week kiddo (2.5) coughed a bit- but not bad. No more coughing until TODAY. He coughed quite a bit- then during nap, he coughed enough that he was not able to sleep. I text her and she said she has allergies right now, & thinks he does as well? BUT HOW DO WE KNOW???

#5- This last Monday, mom asked if I wanted her hubby to keep kiddo- he is military & is on his 2nd week of quarantine after flying out of Detroit a week ago. I told her that yes, I would prefer this, because I am terrified of cross contamination! Little one was sleeping with daddy as we were texting, so they did not quarantine from one another for sure...

So today as mom of #4 came to pick him up- she was crying- I asked if everything was okay (she works for my SIL & I'm quite sure it was okay to leave work) As I ask her- she BURST into tears Telling me she HAS to work and she has kept kiddo away from ANYONE the past 2 weeks and she doesn't know HOW he could have anything because he hasn't been out. (he does have a 7 y/o brother who is staying with his grandpa and how do we know HE hasn't been around others?

Now I feel HORRIBLE for having her pick up, but I cannot be SURE it is just allergies or another 'bug'?

Anyhow- I live on an island in AK. with a population of around 3000. We don't have any confirmed cases here yet, but overall in our state there are 70 confirmed. In our community, there are 18 tests sent out- with 7 coming back negative so far... I don't know if I should close for a couple weeks while I have a very low count... or keep pushing along? I just DON'T KNOW. Our town is in a 'Shelter in Place' mandate as of last night.

I am 62 next month & have type2 diabetes, though mostly controlled by meds & diet (not insulin) & I have slight asthma. ANY time I get a 'bug' it becomes a bad chest cold- just seems to go straight to my chest. I AM WORRIED.

One of our good friends, who lived here, was airlifted to a lower 48 hospital a couple months ago- he was sick & elderly, but was getting better and moved to a rehab facility to ready him to get back home... then he got sicker & was back in the hospital- he passed away- they got his positive covid-19 test just a few hours before he died. Oddly, he is considered Alaskas first fatality to covid-19... even though he got it AND passed down there- he is in the news as being Alaskas first fatality. His adult son has tested positive as well- but is doing very well (they live in WA now) he is on day 9 of quarantine & has very little symptoms- but this has really brought this home to me and I'd be lying if I said I was not VERY nervous!

But DO I CLOSE? Do I wait for the first covid case in our town? And if so- WHEN do I reopen? My hubby is kind of poo pooing my closing- I find myself going to bed at 8pm... just wanting to curl up and sleep ALL the time because I'm depressed & have no idea WHAT I really should do.

Ive had a daycare for like 30 years or more- I've NEVER run into anything like this and I am jut so unsure what to do

Stay healthy everyone!!
Reply
rosieteddy 06:26 AM 03-27-2020
My suggestion would be to close.At 62 and with some health concerns why not? In Ma.right now all DC centers are closed until May4th that is along with all schools and colleges .This is serious. Let me put it in perspective.When I was 61 five years ago I had a heart attack.A blood clot lodged in my heart.I was sent to a Boston hospital and a stent was inserted. On Docters orders after a week in hospital I could not lift anything heavier than a milk jug for at least a month.The children were all split up.I didn't feel right keeping the families on hold so with a heavy heart (LOL) I called it.I told the parents I needed to close indefinitely.I was sad but truly knew it was the right thing.Parents were sad we had been together many years some of the children were the 3rd child from each family I had cared for.I visited each family and brought a remembrance book and said goodbye.Frankly all had moved on happily.Children said hello but weren't all that sad.Parent had new dc or caregivers everyone moved on quite nicely.I guess what I am trying to say is put yourself first.If you get the virus and have complications they will move on .They have to.Let them make arrangements for their children.You can plan on reopening or decide to retire after all.As far as husbands go mine missed the money but he got over it.We to only get this life sometimes it takes something big to show us the way .Dc is hard to quit but they will find someone else and you are still young enough to enjoy retirement.Good luck and do what you think you need to.
Reply
Blackcat31 07:29 AM 03-27-2020
You do you and the issues other parents have are not yours. We may all be in this together but people still need to have some self-responsibilty.

The problem with child care providers...we are willing to risk our own health and safety for others but the others have no problem walking all over us as long as it works for them. They don't care what happens to you as long as you remain available for them.

I would NOT allow any child to be in care with ANY symptoms right now. Even if they are rooted in another issue (allergies/asthma etc) as when those things flare up, their immune system is already working over time so they are MORE susceptible to catch something else.

Any parent that doesn't have a back up plan will find out real quick they need one. It does not and should not be you.

I get that child care providers are definitely essential to the country over all but it doesn't mean we have to purposely take risks because of the failure of others to plan or figure it out.

Exclude ALL sick kids or kids that have family that have traveled recently. Remember to put YOU and YOUR HEALTH first. If you become unable to work, are they going to support you? If not, then you need to protect yourself in any and all ways possible.

You can not pour from an empty cup.

Stay healthy and safe!!
Reply
Ariana 08:06 AM 03-27-2020
I am not going to put myself in the position of playing “guess that illness” at the door. I closed! If you do remain open, exclude for absolutely everything. If I decide to open back up this will be my illness policy going forward during this thing...maybe even beyond. Also exclude all non essential workers kids and essential workers kid with a parent at home. At this point I would only be willing to take care of an essential workers kid who has no other choice for care.
Reply
e.j. 11:45 AM 03-27-2020
I think everyone so far has given great advice. Mine would be to close if you can at all afford to close. Given your age and health issues, it's just not worth the risk. I was at the point where you are now, trying to decide what to do. I had decided to stay open as long as my nurse/public safety parents needed care. I was beyond relieved when our state said we had to close. Financially, it'll be tough but my stress level, while still higher than I like it, is at least not where it was when I was responsible for the kids in my care.
Reply
Tin Blues 01:26 PM 03-27-2020
I’m 59 with high blood pressure and diabetes. I closed on the 17th. No regrets. Through the kids, I was exposed to every single person that my daycare parents saw in their jobs. Several parents were regularly flying when it was becoming clear it was no longer safe to do so. Every time a kid coughed, I started to flinch.

The death rate was 7.3% for diabetics in China that got Coronavirus.

I’m simply not willing to risk those kind of odds for daycare.
Reply
Sunchimes 11:26 AM 03-28-2020
I am 66 with controlled hbp. I just have 3 kids, all in one family. Mom kept saying that the kids weren't around anyone, just home to my house. But, both parents are still working. I finally messaged my doctor. He said he had already told centers to send home anyone at risk, and that I should close immediately, and if I couldn't do it financially, I needed to close as soon as our county got it's first case. He said that even though there was no positive test yet, it was definitely in town. This was last Tuesday. I gave her 24 hours notice and closed on Wednesday. We got our first case here on Friday. My doctor said that often, kids are asymptomatic but shedding virus all over the place. He didn't soft pedal it, he flat said I should quit immediately. Mom was upset, but I don't care. She got touchy about paying me since I quit before we got a shelter in place order. This is Texas, he isn't going to order shelter in place until you can see the virus strutting down the street. I got mad and told her to forget it. My handbook says that if I close, they don't owe. She's right, I can't argue about that. I do think these are extenuating circumstances, and they can certainly afford it. Both will be paid no matter what. I will say that she is not going to like my new handbook when it comes out next fall. So, all this to say that if you can manage it, quit immediately. There will always be other kids when this is over.
Reply
lblanke 05:50 AM 03-29-2020
Quit now. It takes an average of 5.3 days to be symptomatic, and 2-5 days for test results. Numbers now are what happened 10-14 days ago.
Reply
kidsncats 02:00 PM 04-09-2020
Originally Posted by Tin Blues:
I’m 59 with high blood pressure and diabetes. I closed on the 17th. No regrets. Through the kids, I was exposed to every single person that my daycare parents saw in their jobs. Several parents were regularly flying when it was becoming clear it was no longer safe to do so. Every time a kid coughed, I started to flinch.

The death rate was 7.3% for diabetics in China that got Coronavirus.

I’m simply not willing to risk those kind of odds for daycare.

Reply
Tags:alaska members, coronavirus - living with the effects
Reply Up