I am currently working for a daycare with 5 staff and the director. If a staff member becomes I'll we only have 2 afternoon staff members that can cover the first shift. We have had pink eye going around and I woke up with it this morning. I tried calling the other 2 staff members to cover my shift for 2 hours this morning. I then notified my boss 1 hour before my shift that Im sure I have pink eye and was making a Drs appointment but couldn't get ahold of other staff members to cover my shift. I was told that I either had to get ahold of one of the other staff members to work or I needed to come in. My question is can she do this? I was finally able to get ahold of another staff member who said they would cover my shift, I notified my boss that she was coming in and she said ok. She ended up being an hour late due to dropping her own kids off so my boss tried coveringmy class and couldn't handle it for more than 10 mins and made the other staff cover my class. Now my boss is saying I'm in trouble due to her being late.
On the same note I could have possibly avoided getting pink eye but my boss refuses to send sick kids home bc she says their parents need to work so she expects the staff to care for the sick kids. I've pretty much been sick since October due to her not sending sick kids home. I've not missed a single day in the past year and always help cover my coworkers shifts. The only reason I continue to stay is bc a new company is going to be taking over and I will be the new director. I have went to school and owned my own daycare (don't any more due to relocating) so I am familiar with state laws.
What should I do? What is legal as far as finding my own replacement when sick?

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Totally unfair to insist YOU. find someone to cover. It's assuredly against your regulations to demand staff work with a contagious condition! Id start looking for a job elsewhere. As a Director, I'd never demand sick people work or allow sick kids to attend.

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This is a question that needs to be addressed to your state's Department of Labor.

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Ugh! I'm so sorry. I've worked for employers in the past that required us to find our own replacement, and I hated it. But, even all of those employers, if you had something like a very contagious, communicable disease, such as pink eye, they would ask you to find your own replacement, but ultimately if you couldn't, they would take over the responsibility of finding someone, or cover it themselves.

I would check with your Department of Labor as well, because I cannot see how that can be legal. I know here, if you work around food, the elderly, children, etc. and you have a contagious disease/illness, you HAVE to be out of work and get a doctors note for returning.

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Thank you all! I will look into everything. I am covered, I went to the Dr and do have pink eye and got a Drs note.

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Have you ever been a director of a large center? Staffing can become a problem when little notice is given. Centers have to maintain ratio. You know that.

I own and run a center. My employees want to work full time so there are not alot of people to call in when sickness happens. Also some employees are chronically ill.

You may change your attitude when your the one in charge. Its not an easy job.

Just giving another point of view.

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but her boss is making it hard for her and being unfair when she has never called in sick. Like really I have worked in a daycare before and still do no director that i had wants sick staff to attend work or sick kids. That's why there are rules. just call in and they will find someone to fill in. that why daycare's have a supply list. Be real.

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This post is from 2015. Although many center employees still face the same issues day in and day out. It is the nature of the business.

Also, many states view viral/allergic pink eye as a non-exclusion illness. Common childhood illness, mild sick. Kids can attend with it.

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I know that this is an old post, I work in a daycare but as a aide. If anyone is ever sick or needs off at the last minute, we have to find someone to cover out schedule and if we find someone what we usually do is swap shifts so that some doesn't go over their hours for the week

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Although it is the workers responsibility to call and get a cover it is ultimately the directors job to meet ratio not individual employees. Having enough people on the supply list is also their responsibility. They will need to leave their position as director to fill in if needed. This is how it worked for us at least.

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