Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>This Parent Is Unbelievable!
JLH 03:23 PM 03-19-2013
Background story:
this is the mom that admits to covering up symptoms with tylenol before bringing kid to daycare and also tried to convince me that her kid wasn't contagious because he was on medicine, when pushed further the medicine she was talking about was tylenol and ibuprofen and not antibiotics, child has brought strep and the stomach flu into my home and all this is just within the last month or so Ugh!

Here was my conversation with mom over the phone today.

Mom; Freddy's sister is home from school this week and we were wondering if you had room for her.

Me; Why is she out of school? Is she sick?

Mom; Well, that depends on who you ask... then she says something about stupid doctors

Me; Well, what did they diagnose her with?

Mom; the school said she had chicken pox but the doctor said it's impetigo and that's not contagious and she is on medicine.

Me; ummm... No! No she can't come here with impetigo. It's highly contagious until she has been on an antibiotic for 48 hours along with remarkable improvement in the healing of the sores.


Here's my question for you other providers. Now, keeping in mind that impetigo can be contagious for 3 days before there are any symptoms, would you allow the brother to attend since he doesn't have it... yet? I told her no and she still has to pay. Would you do the same? Also, would you terminate for all of these reasons put together? If so, how would you do it? What would you say? Seems to me that this family is getting sneakier and sneakier about bringing their sick kids to daycare and I'm sick of it being brought in my house. I'm pregnant and have 3 little ones of my own.
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 03:26 PM 03-19-2013
If you can swing it, I would term because it's clear that their child (even children!) being sick is not a concern of theirs and they don't care who they infect.
Reply
Blackcat31 03:36 PM 03-19-2013
Personally, I would have termed the family the minute I found out they were doping and dropping.

I do NOT allow parents to medicate their child for unknown reasons and then leave them with me.

Parents are allowed to medicate for KNOWN issues/pain from ear infection etc as long as they tell me about it and sign/date the written form I have for this.

As for the DCB getting impetigo, I would be leary but I wouldn't exclude as it is only spreadable if he touches the fluid from the sores/scabs his sister has. It is NOT spread from touching things. http://www.hennepin.us/files/Hennepi...s6impetigo.pdf

I do not exclude a sibling if one is sick and the other is not or is not showing signs of being sick. In cases of extreme illnesses I may do so but have not had the issue come up as of yet.

If I told a parent they had to keep the non-sick sibling home, I would not charge as I don't feel that is fair. Unless it is written in your policies that they must keep sibling home and still pay.

I think the issue here is the rules weren't followed. Maybe because you allowed them to sneak by or because they simply take advantage...I don't know for sure, but I do know I would have nipped the sneaky behavior in the bud immediately when I first suspected anything funky going down...kwim?
Reply
JLH 03:57 PM 03-19-2013
Originally Posted by EntropyControlSpecialist:
If you can swing it, I would term because it's clear that their child (even children!) being sick is not a concern of theirs and they don't care who they infect.
I agree with you completely. This parent does not have to work but chooses to, and for minimum wage at that. How would you word the term letter or what would you say? I'm stumped on this. Tell her the truth for the term reason or brush it off as needing to fill her pt spot with a ft kid?
Reply
JLH 04:09 PM 03-19-2013
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Personally, I would have termed the family the minute I found out they were doping and dropping.

I do NOT allow parents to medicate their child for unknown reasons and then leave them with me.

Parents are allowed to medicate for KNOWN issues/pain from ear infection etc as long as they tell me about it and sign/date the written form I have for this.

As for the DCB getting impetigo, I would be leary but I wouldn't exclude as it is only spreadable if he touches the fluid from the sores/scabs his sister has. It is NOT spread from touching things. http://www.hennepin.us/files/Hennepi...s6impetigo.pdf

I do not exclude a sibling if one is sick and the other is not or is not showing signs of being sick. In cases of extreme illnesses I may do so but have not had the issue come up as of yet.

If I told a parent they had to keep the non-sick sibling home, I would not charge as I don't feel that is fair. Unless it is written in your policies that they must keep sibling home and still pay.

I think the issue here is the rules weren't followed. Maybe because you allowed them to sneak by or because they simply take advantage...I don't know for sure, but I do know I would have nipped the sneaky behavior in the bud immediately when I first suspected anything funky going down...kwim?
I did not term for doping and dropping because it was a minor detail I forgot to add in my handbook. My handbook states that I will give 30 days notice of changes. Stupid me! Live and learn, right? lol
I told her I would charge and he can't come because I am hoping it pushes her to term herself.
As for letting things slide, you hit the nail on the head. When I started watching him, mom had a job where she was on a trial period and could not miss more than 2 days in the first 6 months or something like that. He was my only kid back then and we let a lot slide. Live and learn, right? lol
Reply
lovemykidstoo 04:51 PM 03-19-2013
I would not allow the sister to come obviously, but I would let the dcb come if he does not have any symptoms. This is from mayoclinic.com:

"You're exposed to the bacteria that cause impetigo when you come into contact with the sores of someone who's infected or with items they've touched, such as clothing, bed linen, towels and even toys. Once you're infected, you can easily spread the infection to others."

So, as it says here, he would only be able to infect others if he had sores. My son had this last fall and he had it really really bad on almost every part of his body he had sores and we sent our daughter to school. Same idea. None of us every got it and I was the one that put his antibiotic cream on twice a day.
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 05:31 PM 03-19-2013
Originally Posted by JLH:
I agree with you completely. This parent does not have to work but chooses to, and for minimum wage at that. How would you word the term letter or what would you say? I'm stumped on this. Tell her the truth for the term reason or brush it off as needing to fill her pt spot with a ft kid?
I can find a form that you simply check an X by the reason if you would like! PM me your e-mail address.
Reply
JLH 08:27 PM 03-19-2013
Originally Posted by EntropyControlSpecialist:
I can find a form that you simply check an X by the reason if you would like! PM me your e-mail address.
I did. Thank you!
Reply
MamaBearCanada 06:42 AM 03-20-2013
I would term the family because they seem to be a problem. How does your contract cover excluding a child who is not sick? And still charging for that? I can see why you would not want him attending, I'm just wondering how you word that and get parents to agree. If I did not want the child attending I personally would not charge because the parent is going to have to find someone else to watch their (currently) well child and what if he never develops what the sibling has?
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 07:10 AM 03-20-2013
Originally Posted by JLH:
I did. Thank you!
E-mailed!
Reply
MarinaVanessa 07:49 AM 03-20-2013
Originally Posted by JLH:
I did not term for doping and dropping because it was a minor detail I forgot to add in my handbook. My handbook states that I will give 30 days notice of changes. Stupid me! Live and learn, right? lol
I told her I would charge and he can't come because I am hoping it pushes her to term herself.
As for letting things slide, you hit the nail on the head. When I started watching him, mom had a job where she was on a trial period and could not miss more than 2 days in the first 6 months or something like that. He was my only kid back then and we let a lot slide. Live and learn, right? lol
An oversight but still an easy fix. Give all of your DCP's a 30 days notice of policy changes and change any policies that you think you goofed on. Hand the policy revisions to ALL family's even though you really only have one family in mind. Even if this family leaves or you term them at least your policies will be better off for new clients and for the rest of your current clients. Remember, you don't have to give your clients new contracts or handbooks each time you change a policy, you just have to give them notice. Hand them all a notice of your policy changes and additions and then have each one sign an extra copy to show that they received it and keep it in their file.

"RE: POLICY REVISIONS

Dear Parents/Guardians:

This notice is to serve as a 30 day notification of new policies and policy revisions being made in the contract/handbook. Keep this notice for reference as new contracts and policy handbooks will not be handed out until next year [or whenever you decide to update the contract and handbook and hand new ones out]. The following policy additions and revisions will come into effect as of [DATE], 30 days from this notice.

The following policies are being revised:
• Policy revisions will now require only a two week notice instead of a 30 days notice.

The following policies are being added:
• Medication Policy: Children on any type of fever or pain medication (Tylenol, Ibuprofen etc) is clearly too sick to attend daycare and will not be admitted until they are medication free for 24 hours. Fever/pain reliever does not cure illness, simply masks the symptoms of an illness. Violation of this policy is grounds for immediate termination without notice.
• Termination Policy: The provider reserves the right to terminate this contract at will without notice. Examples may include, but are not limited to, the following reasons:
  1. A breach of contract by the client by failing to comply with any of the policies set forth in this contract and in the policy handbook.
  2. Contesting and/or attempting to negotiate the fees, contract and/or policies.
  3. Failure to complete and return ant required forms by their required due date.
  4. Disruptive, disrespectful or hurtful behavior by a child or client that poses an immediate threat or persists.
  5. Intentionally or frequently bringing a sick child to daycare.
  6. Bringing a child to daycare after administering fever or pain medication.
  7. Non-payment of tuition and/or fees or persistently late and/or reoccurring penalty fees.
  8. Deliberate disrespect or damage to the childcare provider, other daycare families, furnishings or other belongings by a child, client or other persons responsible for the child.
  9. The child is not adjusting properly to the environment and the provider believes that it is harmful for the child to continue to attend.
  10. The child stated in this contract shows behavior that may pose a risk to the safety of the other children, the provider, the provider’s family, or the child itself.
  11. Any behavior by the client that may pose a risk to the safety of the other children, the provider, the provider’s family, or to the client themselves.
  12. If a child is absent for (5) days in a row without any communication.
  13. Scheduling conflicts.
  14. The inability to meet a child’s needs without additional staff, equipment and/or remodeling of the daycare property.
Under other circumstances the provider will give a minimum of two (2) weeks’ notice in writing should the provider wish to terminate the contract.

I would also like to take this time to remind all of my families of the following policies that are already in place. It is a requirement to adhere to the policies at all times:

• [List every policy that the problem family has broken]


Thank you
Daycare Provider
Reply
JLH 02:37 PM 03-20-2013
Originally Posted by MamaBearCanada:
I would term the family because they seem to be a problem. How does your contract cover excluding a child who is not sick? And still charging for that? I can see why you would not want him attending, I'm just wondering how you word that and get parents to agree. If I did not want the child attending I personally would not charge because the parent is going to have to find someone else to watch their (currently) well child and what if he never develops what the sibling has?
I told the parent that I was getting ready to call the health department and my licensor to find out what I was legally obligated to do. I told her that my gut instinct and my preference would be for her to keep him home but if she wanted to bring him anyways, then I would be taking these measures to ensure I was doing my part legally. I also told her that if me or any of my family members caught impetigo we would be closing for a bare minimum of 3 days and no one would have childcare. After a loud sigh, she opted to keep him home at that point.
Reply
JLH 02:44 PM 03-20-2013
Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa:
An oversight but still an easy fix. Give all of your DCP's a 30 days notice of policy changes and change any policies that you think you goofed on. Hand the policy revisions to ALL family's even though you really only have one family in mind. Even if this family leaves or you term them at least your policies will be better off for new clients and for the rest of your current clients. Remember, you don't have to give your clients new contracts or handbooks each time you change a policy, you just have to give them notice. Hand them all a notice of your policy changes and additions and then have each one sign an extra copy to show that they received it and keep it in their file.

"RE: POLICY REVISIONS

Dear Parents/Guardians:

This notice is to serve as a 30 day notification of new policies and policy revisions being made in the contract/handbook. Keep this notice for reference as new contracts and policy handbooks will not be handed out until next year [or whenever you decide to update the contract and handbook and hand new ones out]. The following policy additions and revisions will come into effect as of [DATE], 30 days from this notice.

The following policies are being revised:
• Policy revisions will now require only a two week notice instead of a 30 days notice.

The following policies are being added:
• Medication Policy: Children on any type of fever or pain medication (Tylenol, Ibuprofen etc) is clearly too sick to attend daycare and will not be admitted until they are medication free for 24 hours. Fever/pain reliever does not cure illness, simply masks the symptoms of an illness. Violation of this policy is grounds for immediate termination without notice.
• Termination Policy: The provider reserves the right to terminate this contract at will without notice. Examples may include, but are not limited to, the following reasons:
  1. A breach of contract by the client by failing to comply with any of the policies set forth in this contract and in the policy handbook.
  2. Contesting and/or attempting to negotiate the fees, contract and/or policies.
  3. Failure to complete and return ant required forms by their required due date.
  4. Disruptive, disrespectful or hurtful behavior by a child or client that poses an immediate threat or persists.
  5. Intentionally or frequently bringing a sick child to daycare.
  6. Bringing a child to daycare after administering fever or pain medication.
  7. Non-payment of tuition and/or fees or persistently late and/or reoccurring penalty fees.
  8. Deliberate disrespect or damage to the childcare provider, other daycare families, furnishings or other belongings by a child, client or other persons responsible for the child.
  9. The child is not adjusting properly to the environment and the provider believes that it is harmful for the child to continue to attend.
  10. The child stated in this contract shows behavior that may pose a risk to the safety of the other children, the provider, the provider’s family, or the child itself.
  11. Any behavior by the client that may pose a risk to the safety of the other children, the provider, the provider’s family, or to the client themselves.
  12. If a child is absent for (5) days in a row without any communication.
  13. Scheduling conflicts.
  14. The inability to meet a child’s needs without additional staff, equipment and/or remodeling of the daycare property.
Under other circumstances the provider will give a minimum of two (2) weeks’ notice in writing should the provider wish to terminate the contract.

I would also like to take this time to remind all of my families of the following policies that are already in place. It is a requirement to adhere to the policies at all times:

• [List every policy that the problem family has broken]


Thank you
Daycare Provider
I like this A LOT. Thank you! I used to hold annual contract renewal meetings that were mandatory for parents to attend but it was always a problem trying to find a date that worked for everyone. I think this makes more sense. Thank you!
Reply
lovemykidstoo 04:27 PM 03-20-2013
Originally Posted by JLH:
I told the parent that I was getting ready to call the health department and my licensor to find out what I was legally obligated to do. I told her that my gut instinct and my preference would be for her to keep him home but if she wanted to bring him anyways, then I would be taking these measures to ensure I was doing my part legally. I also told her that if me or any of my family members caught impetigo we would be closing for a bare minimum of 3 days and no one would have childcare. After a loud sigh, she opted to keep him home at that point.
If you research impetigo, you will see that you cannot get it without having someone come in contact with the actual spots. I researched this alot in the fall because my son had it. If your dcb does not have spots, he has nothing to be contagious about.
Reply
Tags:illness, illness policy, impetigo, sibling illness, sickness
Reply Up